Vatican ‘deplores the offence’ caused by Last Supper skit in Paris Olympics ceremony

The Vatican said it was “saddened by certain scenes” at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony which at one point appeared to parody the Last Supper with scantily dressed performers.

The scene performed on July 26 has angered Christian organisations for its apparent recreation of Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper with drag queens and a naked singer.

Although organisers defended the skit as a portrayal of a pagan feast led by Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, many remain unconvinced.

“The Holy See was saddened by certain scenes at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games and can only join the voices that have been raised in recent days to deplore the offence caused to many Christians and believers of other religions,” the Vatican said in a statement, originally in French.

“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. Freedom of expression, which of course is not in question, finds its limit in respect for others.”

Dancers and drag queens

The tableau, titled Festivity, began with a group of dancers and drag queens sitting around a long table. It was part of a section celebrating the French capital’s vibrant night life and reputation as a place of tolerance, pleasure and subversiveness.

Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, head of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life, said the importance of the Olympics and its sporting values had been besmirched by “a blasphemous mockery of one of Christianity’s holiest moments”.Avvenire, an Italian newspaper affiliated with the Church, criticised the show in a lengthy editorial, saying: “What is the sense in transforming every event on the planet (even sporting) into a ‘gay pride’?”.

Matteo Salvini, Italy’s deputy prime minister and far-Right leader, described it as an insult to billions of Christians around the world while Tommaso Foti, the head of the Brothers of Italy in the lower house, condemned it as “blasphemy”.

The Last Supper is a mural painted by Leonardo da Vinci in the late 15th century in the Santa Maria delle Grazie convent in Milan. It depicts Jesus with the 12 apostles, showing the moment after he announced that one of them will betray him.

The organisers of the Paris Olympics last week apologised for any offence the scene caused. Anne Deschamps, a spokesman, said: “Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group.” The opening ceremony “tried to celebrate community tolerance”, she added.