In a statement on Saturday, French bishops expressed regret over “scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity, which we deeply deplore.”
“We thank the members of other religious denominations who have expressed their solidarity,” the statement added. “This morning, we think of all Christians on all continents who have been hurt by the outrage and provocation of certain scenes. We hope they understand that the Olympic celebration extends far beyond the ideological preferences of some artists.”
Archbishop Charles Scicluna said he sent a message to the French ambassador of his native Malta, expressing “distress” and “great disappointment” at the “insult to us Christians during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics when a group of drag artists parodied the Last Supper of Jesus.”
Bishop Andrew Cozzens, chair of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis, issued a letter calling on Catholics to respond with prayer and fasting. He said the Last Supper was “depicted in heinous fashion”
Several French politicians agreed that Olympic organizers and the group had mocked Christianity.
“Know that it is not France that is speaking,” said Marion Marechal, a French member of the European Parliament and granddaughter of the right-wing leader Jean Marie Le-Pen.
Marechal, a practicing Catholic, added said it had been done by “a minority of the [political] left ready for any provocation.”
