Christians around the world are accusing the Olympics Opening Ceremony organisers of blasphemy after a parody performance of “The Last Supper.”
The ceremony – which took place around the Paris city centre – also featured depictions of trans people, drag queens, and a headless Marie Antoinette.
The Olympics takes place from 26 July to 11 August.
OLYMPICS OPENING CEREMONY: THE LAST SUPPER AND OTHER BIBLICAL REFERENCES
The Olympics Opening Ceremony featured superstar performances of singers Celine Dion and Lady Gaga. It also boasted a fashion runway show on a bridge and a Parade of Nations on the River Seine, featuring Olympic athletes waving their flags, representing different countries.
However, the ceremony also included various performances, which quickly became a trending topic over its controversial nature.
One of the most noteable visuals was the parody of renaissance painting “The Last Supper” by artist Leonardo da Vinci. The famous piece of art is known for its depiction of Jesus Christ and his 12 disciples. In the performance, drag queens, trans people and a child depict the disciples whilst a plus-size woman wearing a crown seemingly portrays Jesus.
Other Christian references featured the “worship” of a golden calf statue, and a cloaked figure riding a pale horse seemingly referencing the horsemen of the apocalypse.
The Olympics Opening Ceremony visuals were condemned by many social media users, including X founder Elon Musk.
“This was extremely disrespectful to Christians,” the world’s richest man tweeted.
Others agreed.
SA artist The Kiffness also joined the commentary, tweeting: “If you want to understand why Christianity is openly mocked at #Paris2024, you need to understand that there is a Satanic agenda and Christ stands in the way of that”.
He added: “The Satanic agenda aims to destroy the nuclear family structure and to destroy our collective moral and spiritual compass.
“Lost souls are easily manipulated and easy to control. Strong moral families are difficult to control. Which is why they want them destroyed.”
RELIGIOUS LEADERS CONDEMN PERFORMANCE
Meanwhile, various religious leaders have strongly condemned the visuals depicted in the Olympics Opening Ceremony.
The French Bishops’ Conference said in a statement: “We think of all Christians across the continents who were hurt by the excesses and provocation of certain scenes. We hope they understand that the Olympic celebration extends far beyond the ideological biases of a few artists”.
US Bishop Robbert Barron also spoke out on “the gross mockery of the Last Supper.”
