US leaders denounce drag queen 'Last Supper' parody at Olympics opening ceremony

PARIS (TND) — Leaders across the globe are speaking out after a group of drag queens appeared to mock Leonardo Da Vinci's iconic "The Last Supper" painting -- which depicts Jesus Christ and his 12 apostles -- during the Olympics opening ceremony along the Seine River.

Part of the 4-hour event on Friday night seemingly attempted to recreate the biblical scene of Jesus and his closest followers sharing a final meal ahead of Christ's crucifixion, death, and resurrection.

The sketch featured several drag queens, a transgender model, a singer posing as the Greek god of wine, Dionysus, as well as a child.

"A question I would pose -- we all know the answer to -- would they ever have dared mock Islam in a similar way? Would they ever dream of mocking in this gross, public way at scene from the Koran?" Bishop Robert Barron, who is the bishop of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota, said in a video he posted on X. "As I say, we all know the answer. I think, folks, what's interesting here is this deeply secularist post-modern society knows who its enemy is -- they are naming it -- and we should believe them."

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., shared similar sentiments. He also posted his reaction on X.

"Last night’s mockery of the Last Supper was shocking and insulting to Christian people around the world who watched the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games," Johnson wrote. "The war on our faith and traditional values knows no bounds today. But we know that truth and virtue will always prevail."

Johnson went on to quote the bible and added, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.' (John 1:5)."

Following the backlash from Barron and Johnson, as well as several others, event organizers issued an apology Sunday. The ceremony’s artistic director, Thomas Jolly, said the overall event was meant to celebrate diversity and pay tribute to feasting and French cuisine.

Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps said no one meant to disrespect "any religious group."

“On the contrary, I think (with) Thomas Jolly, we really did try to celebrate community tolerance,” Descamps said at an International Olympic Committee news conference. “Looking at the result of the polls that we shared, we believe that this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense we are, of course, really, really sorry.”

Jolly explained his intentions to The Associated Press after the ceremony.

“My wish isn’t to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock,” Jolly said. “Most of all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion and not at all to divide."

Barron, however, warned that Christians and Catholics "should not be sheepish" in the face of evil.

"We should resist," the bishop said. "We should make our voices heard," the bishop said.

In a follow-up post, he also said he thinks "we have indeed become too timid in the face of our cultural antagonists."

The spectacle threatened to overshadow a comeback performance by vocalist Celine Dion, who closed out the ceremony by singing at the Eiffel Tower. Nearly two years after revealing her stiff person syndrome diagnosis, Dion belted Edith Piaf's “Hymne à l’amour” (“Hymn to Love”) as the finale of the event.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: The Associated Press contributed to this report.