Outrage about the opening ceremony: the last sacrament mocked
Outrage about the opening ceremony: the last sacrament mocked
Criticism of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris
The opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, which took place on July 26, 2024, caused outrage worldwide. In a scene that was designed as a new interpretation of the last sacrament, Drag queens bore the role of the apostles and an overweight DJ. Jesus represented. This performance, which was part of a 1.5 billion euro spectacle, was regarded by many as disrespectful towards Christianity
The reactions of the bishops worldwide
As a result of these controversies, bishops from different parts of the world of the French Bishops' Conference and American bishops joined to express their outrage about the scene shown in the ceremony. In a declaration published on July 27, the French bishops expressed deep regret about the "look of the mockery of Christianity". They thanked other religious communities that had expressed their solidarity.- Archbishop Charles Scicluna von Malta expressed his "grief of the insult to the Christians" and encouraged others to raise their voice.
- Bishop Andrew Cozzen from the USA asked Catholics to pray and fast to react to the action.
- Bishop Stefan Oster from Germany called the performance a "low point" and superfluous.
a broader social discussion
This event raises questions about the limits of art and satire. The reviews include that "tolerance" is often used in our society, while religious beliefs do not experience the same respect. The Archbishop of Santiago de Chile, Fernando Chomali, described the presentation as a grotesque parody of the sacrament of the Eucharist and called it an expression of nihilism that knows no limits.
a political dimension
The incident also did political waves. Marion Maréchal, a French politician, turned to Christians who felt insulted by the performance, and emphasized that this did not represent the true France, but rather a provocative minority. Javier Tebas Medrano, President of the La Liga, also made clear and called the use of the last sacrament at the Olympic Games unacceptable and disrespectful.
A call to unity in the faith community
In the middle of the controversial, many religious leaders called their communities to unity. They emphasized the importance of reacting to such events through prayer and positive actions. The bishops emphasized that the Olympic celebration goes beyond the ideological preferences of individual artists and expected the faithful to stand together during this time.
In view of the wave of indignation, it remains to be seen in view of the long -term consequences of this performance for the dialogue between religion and art. It becomes clear that Inspiration and belief must remain interwoven in times of doubt.- Nag