By Jean-Benoît Harel
It was a ceremony of superlatives. The first-ever Olympic opening ceremony on the Seine River featured a parade of sports delegations on 85 boats, numerous artistic tableaux, and performances by global artists, such as Canadian Céline Dion and American Lady Gaga.
“The opening ceremony,” the French Bishops’ Conference acknowledged, “offered the world last wonderful moments of beauty, joy, rich emotions, and universal acclaim,” but “included scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity, which we deeply deplore.”
At the forefront of the criticism across was a reenactment of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” by ten men in drag.
Solidarity from Other Religious Denominations
Following the globally broadcast ceremony, many leaders of other religious denominations expressed their solidarity with the French Catholic Church, according to the statement.
“We think of all Christians worldwide who were hurt by the excess and provocation of certain scenes,” the French Bishops assured. “We hope they understand that the Olympic celebration extends far beyond the ideological biases of a few artists,” continued the French Episcopal Conference.
Exclusion of Certain Believers
The General Secretary of the CEF, Father Hugues de Woillemont, highlighted on the social network X the contradiction between the “displayed inclusivity and the actual exclusion of certain believers. It is unnecessary to hurt consciences to promote fraternity and sisterhood.”
Bishop François Touvet, President of the CEF’s Communication Council and coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Fréjus-Toulon, “strongly associated” himself with the Church of France’s statement. On social media, he declared, “I protest, like many, against this scandalous and grave insult to Christians worldwide, not forgetting the other excesses of the show.”
In response to requests for explanations, Michaël Aloïsio, spokesperson for the Paris 2024 Olympic Organizing Committee, responded on Saturday, Jul 27, on Franceinfo: “We stand by our decision to push boundaries.”
At the ceremony’s end, the Olympic cauldron soared into the sky.
Unity and Human Fraternity
The CEF concluded its statement by recalling that sport “is a wonderful activity that profoundly delights the hearts of athletes and spectators,” and that Olympism is a “movement serving the reality of unity and human fraternity.”
The opening ceremony ended on a hopeful note, unanimously appreciated by spectators, with one of the evening’s highlights: Céline Dion concluding Edith Piaf’s “Hymn to Love” from the first floor of the Eiffel Tower, letting the last words of the song resonate in the Parisian night: “God reunites those who love each other.” – Vatican News
Deborah Castellano Lubov contributed to this article
