Thomas Jolly, the 42-year-old mastermind of the ceremony, addressed the controversy surrounding one of the most debated scenes which featured a nearly nude performer.

He firmly denied that this tableau was inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci's "The Last Supper", a piece of Christian iconography.

"The concept was to create a grand pagan celebration connected to the gods of Olympus" Jolly explained to BFMTV.

"I aimed for a ceremony that unites people, that reconciles while also affirming our Republican values of liberty, equality and fraternity."

The scene, which depicted drag queens in a manner reminiscent of "The Last Supper", sparked widespread criticism for its perceived mockery of a sacred Christian event.

Apology-lite

Representatives of the Paris 2024 Olympics Committee have since apologised to those offended, insisting they intended to foster inclusion and celebrate diversity.

"Clearly, there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. If people have taken any offence, we are of course really, really sorry" Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps said during an International Olympic Committee news conference.

However, the apology has not quelled the controversy.

Bishop Barron's 'both barrels'

Bishop Robert Barron, a prominent Catholic commentator, called on Christians to "keep raising our voices" against the Paris Olympics.

Barron condemned the depiction as a "gross mockery of the Last Supper" and criticised the committee's apology as disingenuous.

"Give me a break" Barron said.

"We have a group of drag queens cavorting in a sexually provocative way, clearly in imitation of Da Vinci's Last Supper, and no disrespect was meant? You think anyone takes that seriously?"

Wider criticism

The controversy has extended beyond Christian circles, with top government officials in the US, Iran and Turkey also speaking out against the performance.

Republican Presidential hopeful Donald Trump said on Monday he thought it was "a disgrace".

"I'm very open-minded" the former president told Fox News host Laura Ingraham, "but I thought what they did was a disgrace."

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, condemned the "insults" against Jesus Christ, noting that Jesus is a respected figure in Islam.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed his intention to discuss the matter with Pope Francis, saying "The disgraceful scene in Paris offended not only the Catholic world, not only the Christian world, but also us as much as them."

Performer takes legal action

Meanwhile, French DJ and women's rights activist Barbara Butch has filed a formal complaint with authorities following a wave of online harassment stemming from her appearance at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.

Butch, who performed in a segment that critics likened to Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper", says she has faced a barrage of discriminatory messages and threats since the event last Friday.

The Paris prosecutor's office confirmed receipt of Butch's complaint and has assigned a specialised hate crimes unit to investigate.

According to officials, the probe will focus on "discriminatory messages based on religion or sexual orientation that were sent to her or posted online".

Sources

• rfi
• Daily Wire
• USA News
• CNA

Last month, columnist Ross Douthat wrote several pieces about the synod on the family in Rome.

He suggesting, among other things, that clear factions among the bishops have emerged, that Pope Francis favours a more liberal resolution of the key questions and that heretical viewpoints are afoot in Rome.

Dozens of theologians and academics responded by sending a letter to the editors of the New York Times.

They stated that Douthat was proposing a politicised reading of Church affairs and that he was, at the end of the day, unqualified to speak on such complex matters.

"Moreover, accusing other members of the Catholic Church of heresy, sometimes subtly, sometimes openly, is serious business that can have serious consequences for those so accused. This is not what we expect of the New York Times," the academics wrote.

Douthat responded by agreeing that he is not a theologian.

"But neither is Catholicism supposed to be an esoteric religion, its teachings accessible only to academic adepts," he said.

Douthat said that while he has great respect for the professors' vocation, his own role is to provoke and explain.

He said that in his columns, he aims to cut through obfuscations and get to the basic truth.

He went on to explain his concerns about ideas of "development of doctrine" that appeared to reverse doctrine, and to pastoral suggestions that seem to empty doctrine in practice.

Los Angeles auxiliary Bishop Robert Barron backed Douthat being able to express his views.

"Are all of Ross Douthat's opinions on the synod debatable? Of course," Bishop Barron wrote.

"Do I subscribe to everything he has said in this regard? No. But is he playing outside the rules of legitimate public discourse in such an egregious way that he ought to be censored? Absolutely not!"

"The [academics'] letter to the Times is indicative indeed of a much wider problem in our intellectual culture, namely, the tendency to avoid real argument and to censor what makes us, for whatever reason, uncomfortable," Bishop Barron added.

Sources

• New York Times
• Daily Theology
• New York Times
• Aleteia
• Image: Veritas