The Ecumenical Patriarchate has commented on the controversial depiction of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper” featuring drag queen actors during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“It is with great sadness that during the opening ceremony in Paris, we witnessed the scenes offensive to Christianity and the Holy Gospel, as well as to every civilized person who recognizes the right to believe and respect religious symbols,” the Ecumenical Patriarchate said in a statement.
Such skits did not enrich the ceremony, but tarnished it, the Phanar noted.
“Blasphemy against God is not progress, nor is the right to insult the religious beliefs of our neighbors. Spontaneous expression of disgust and disapproval on the part of people, we hope, became a loud enough signal for those who made the decision, and serves as a source of hope for avoiding similar actions in the future,” the Ecumenical Patriarchate said.
It should be recalled that the Council of Churches of the Middle East condemns the incident at the opening of the Olympics in Paris. Also, Archbishop Daniel of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the United States expresses concern over the Paris 2024 opening ceremony.
