The Vatican has joined a growing list of those expressing disapproval of the opening ceremony of this year’s Summer Olympics in Paris because it featured a controversial drag show parody evoking “The Last Supper” with Jesus Christ and his apostles.
“The Holy See was saddened by certain scenes at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games and cannot but join the voices raised in recent days to deplore the offense done to many Christians and believers of other religions,” the Vatican said in a press release, per Deadline.
“At a prestigious event where the whole world comes together to share common values, there should be no allusions ridiculing the religious convictions of many people,” it added. “The freedom of expression, which is clearly not called into question here, is limited by respect for others.”
Those who lashed out in response to the performance include the French Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Robert Barron, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), NFL kicker Harrison Butker, and C Spire — a U.S. tech company that said it would be removing ads from the Olympics.
ESPN reported the organizers of the games have apologized to anyone who took offense at the drag show performance, one of several acts during the opening ceremony, because it appeared to mock the biblical scene in “The Last Supper,” a painting by Leonardo Da Vinci.
“Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. [The ceremony] tried to celebrate community tolerance,” said Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps, adding, “We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense, we are really sorry.”
The ceremony’s artistic director, Thomas Jolly, said the scene was meant to embrace “diversity” and inclusion. He also has reportedly claimed the scene had nothing to do with “The Last Supper,” but rather Greek mythology, as it included someone dressed as the Greek god Dionysus.
First lady Jill Biden, who led the U.S. delegation to the opening ceremony, praised the show during a brunch for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. “It was spectacular,” she said, “… Every step of the way, I was thinking to myself, ‘Oh my God, oh my God. How are we going to top this?'”