During the Olympic ceremonies, 18 performers re-created the scene, a depiction of Jesus Christ's final meal with his disciples before his crucifixion.

The scene featured some half-naked performers, one in the middle with a halo atop her head, behind a long table. A man who was painted blue, and with only vines covering his genitals, sat in the middle of the table and was surrounded by flowers.

Church reacts

Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta sent two messages to the French ambassador to Malta expressing his distress and the disappointment of many Christians at the display.

Scicluna stated "Such performances, especially on a global stage, should respect the beliefs and traditions of all faiths. This portrayal was a blatant disregard for what many hold sacred".

The Catholic Church in France also criticised the segment, with the French bishops deploring the scenes.

While the ceremony was a "marvellous display of beauty and joy, rich in emotion and universally acclaimed", the French bishops said it "unfortunately included scenes of mockery and derision of Christianity which we deeply regret. We would like to thank the members of other religious denominations who have expressed their solidarity with us" they wrote.

"We are thinking of all the Christians on every continent who have been hurt by the outrageousness and provocation of certain scenes. We want them to understand that the Olympic celebration goes far beyond the ideological biases of a few artists" the bishops stressed.

Extremely disrespectful to Christians

The performance also attracted criticism from high-profile individuals outside the Catholic community.

Elon Musk tweeted his disapproval, saying "This was extremely disrespectful to Christians".

People from around the globe, including lawmakers, took to social media shortly after, questioning why the scene was included in the opening ceremony.

Media personality Piers Morgan posted: "Would they have mocked any other religion like this? Appalling decision".

Showbiz journalist Stephanie Takyi commented: "To be honest, I don't think they would have done that about Islam because they know that they would have gone to the streets, and it would have been a wrap for the Olympics.

"They feel like for Christianity, because we're quite subdued, let's make a mockery of it."

Dutch politician Geert Wilder who runs the Party for Freedom, tweeted: "So mocking Christianity is ok, but when I publish some Muhammad cartoons the left cries blasphemy and radical imams issue fatwas. Double standards of the worst kind."

"The Olympics has basically turned into one long drag show" anti-woke cultural commentator Libs of TikTok wrote. "The Olympics has gone completely woke."

"This is crazy. Opening your event by replacing Jesus and the disciples at the The Last Supper with men in drag" radio host Clint Russell said. "There are 2.4 billion Christians on earth and apparently the Olympics wanted to declare loudly to all of them, right out of the gate, Not Welcome."

About the artwork

Despite the backlash, particularly Archbishop Scicluna's "gratuitous insult" comment, some defended the performance.

Journalist Fraser Myers said the reenactment was "about the artwork" and the organisers weren't trying to offend.

He explained: "I think what the intention was that the theme of the show was actually re-creating paintings.

"The Last Supper is in the Louvre. It's one of the greats, you know. So, I think that's what they were trying to do. I don't think they were trying to cause offence."

Meanwhile, the LGBTQ Out magazine praised "queens everywhere" for "this huge moment for drag performers breaking through the mainstream and showing their talents to the entire world".

Additionally, other acts such as the beheading of Marie Antoinette and Philippe Katerine's portrayal of Dionysus, the god of wine, also sparked debate among divided fans.

Critics argue these performances were disrespectful, while supporters view them as bold artistic expressions meant to challenge traditional norms and celebrate diversity and inclusion on a global stage.

Sources

Newsbook

GB News

FoxNews

National Review

America Magazine

Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy, suggested fostering a true witness to the Faith could reverse the trend.

Cardinal You was visiting Knock for the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors.

The conference coincided with the Year for Vocations to the Diocesan Priesthood, a national initiative aimed at addressing the decline in priestly vocations in Ireland.

In an interview with The Irish Catholic, Cardinal You highlighted the necessity of promoting priesthood within families. He underscored that simply calling for an end to the ban on priests marrying does not effectively address the root causes of the vocations crisis.

As evidence, the cardinal pointed to the Orthodox Church where marriage is permitted yet vocations have also declined.

Vocations urged within families

Cardinal You urged lay faithful to actively encourage vocations within their families and communities, emphasising the importance of nurturing a culture that values religious life.

He noted a disparity between those vocalising support for married priests in public forums and their reluctance to encourage their own children to pursue a religious vocation.

"I don't want to cause any controversy obviously, but there are those who are shouting aloud. Their voices are quite loud in the public forum and they would not be stepping up to encourage their son or their daughter to pursue a religious life."

Reflecting on the synodal process and the evolving role of clergy in a changing Church, Cardinal You addressed the inclusive nature of the Church encompassing bishops, priests, religious and laity. He emphasised the collective responsibility of all Christians to live out the teachings of the Gospel, fostering a community grounded in love for God and neighbour.

The Cardinal's stance contrasts with recent calls from some Vatican figures to re-examine clerical celibacy.

For instance, Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta earlier this year expressed support for making celibacy optional. "If it were up to me, I would revise the requirement that priest(s) have to be celibate" Scicluna told the Times of Malta.

However, as Cardinal Mario Grech confirmed, the issue of mandatory celibacy is not set down for discussion at the upcoming synodal meetings in October.

Sources

The Irish Catholic

CathNews New Zealand

The Chilean bishops failed to protect children from paedophile priests.

Goic has served as head of the Chilean church's child protection commission.

The extent of clerical paedophilia in Chile was detailed in a 2,300-page report compiled earlier this year at Francis's request by Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta and his aide, Fr Jordi Bertomeu.

Although almost every bishop in Chile offered his resignation to Pope Francis after a three-day meeting with him at the Vatican in May, he has accepted only individual resignations since the bishops returned to Chile.

So far he has accepted resignations from five bishops.

They include Bishop Juan Barros of Osorno, once a top aide to Chile's most notorious predator priest, Fernando Karadima.

Originally Francis strongly defended Barros, dismissing objections from many of Chile's faithful, including some church officials, who said the bishop was unfit for the office because he ignored Karadima's abuse.

After Scicluna's investigations, Barros's shielding of Karadima came to light.

It also became clear some bishops not only slowed an investigation into Karadima, but also tampered with evidence.

Source

• La Croix
• Catholic Herald
• LA Times
• Image: CNN.com