'A gratuitous insult to the Eucharist' - Archbishop slams Olympics ceremony's 'Last Supper' parody

Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna has condemned the parodying of the Last Supper, during a segment of the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, describing it as a “gratuitous insult to the Eucharist” in a message to the French Ambassador.

The tableau in question mimicked Leonardo Da Vinci's famous painting of the Last Supper, depicting Jesus Christ’s last meal with the twelve apostles before his crucifixion, but replaced the Biblical characters with a group of drag queens, a transgender model and a naked singer painted blue representing Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, has drawn sharp criticism from many quarters, including the Catholic church in France.

Unsurprisingly, this has led to a backlash. "This ceremony has unfortunately included scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity, which we very deeply deplore," the Conference of French bishops said in a statement.

Malta’s Archbishop also criticised the segment. In a post on X, Scicluna shared screenshots of two messages that he sent via the French Embassy’s website. “I have just sent these two messages to H.E. the French Ambassador to Malta expressing my distress & the disappointment of many Christians at the gratuitous insult to the Eucharist during the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics. I encourage others to message H.E. “

Thomas Jolly, the ceremony's artistic director, defended the pastiche when answering questions from reporters earlier on Saturday. "In France, people are free to love how they please, are free to love whoever they want, are free to believe or not believe," he said.

MaltaToday has reached out to the French Embassy for comment.