Christian faith leaders react to alleged parody of Last Supper at Paris Olympics: 'Grotesque mockery'

A series of drag queens who appeared to parody the iconic Leonardo da Vinci painting of "The Last Supper" during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games last Friday swiftly drew condemnation from leaders and Christians across the globe for allegedly mocking Christianity.

The performance took place during a floating parade on the River Seine last week and featured drag queens seated around a table with one person, painted blue, sitting atop the table. Many argue the display resembled the Da Vinci painting depicting a scene from the Gospel of John when Jesus announces that one of his apostles would betray him.

Daniel Darling, director of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary's Land Center for Cultural Engagement, is among the many faith leaders outraged by the display.

He said his family enjoys watching the Olympics, and he unabashedly roots for Team USA, so the development was disappointing.

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A view of the Olympic rings in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard, File)

"That's why I was appalled at the grotesque mockery of the Lord's Supper in the opening ceremonies," he said in an email to Fox News Digital on Monday.

"This was, as the organizers admitted, exactly what we thought it was: a blasphemous mockery of the Christian faith, which is the bulwark of Western Civilization. Christians are rightly outraged and horrified by it. What it shows is that the sexual revolution is presenting itself as an alternate religion, one that mocks what is true and beautiful and mocks God."

He continued, writing, "What should Christians do? We should be both outraged and saddened and then emboldened to declare the truth and goodness of the Christian faith. The central thesis of the Lord's supper is that Jesus' own self-sacrifice, laying down his life for sin and offering salvation and forgiveness for those who believe. His body and blood broken for us. Our response should be to boldly, but compassionately share the good news of the gospel to those who are hungry for meaning and transcendence, who seek to worship in less satisfying gods. Amazingly, Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection offer forgiveness even for those who mock him."

Carrie E. Pierce, Christian co-founder of Morgan Pierce Media & Publishing, criticized the display in her own remarks to Fox News Digital.

"The Last Supper 'performance' during the opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics was not art. It was satanic warfare -and mental illness - on full display," she said.

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A view of the Eiffel Tower with the Olympics rings pictured with national flags of competing countries from the Place du Trocadero ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 21, 2024, in Paris, France. (Kevin Voigt/GettyImages)

"One has to wonder, why didn't they choose to portray a drag queen Muhammed or a drag queen Buddha instead? Christians are considered 'easy prey' because we're expected to turn the other cheek and be 'tolerant'. Until that changes, this debauchery will continue- to the world's detriment," she continued. "God will not be mocked. And for us, the only real question that should be asked is: Why is it so important for grown men dressed as women to gain access to our young people in such a hypersexualized manner?  What's that REALLY about?"

Brian Grim, founding president of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, sounded off as well.

"The Olympic organizers of the Last Supper spectacle during the Opening Ceremony are so far behind the curve when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), what they were purportedly trying to promote. The latest data show a significant surge in Fortune 500 companies including religion as part of their DEI initiatives, which helps them avoid such offensive and COSTLY mistakes. Indeed, the world’s biggest companies are embracing religiously inclusive workplaces at a faster pace than ever before, according to the 2024 Corporate Religious Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (REDI) Index and Monitor, released by the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation (RFBF) in May," he told Fox News Digital in an email.

"The REDI report finds that 429 (85.8%) Fortune 500 companies now mention or illustrate religion as part of their broader commitment to diversity, more than double the number in 2022 (202 companies, or 40.4%). According to the REDI Index, Accenture and American Airlines are the most faith-friendly Global Fortune 500 companies. Perhaps the Olympic organizers have some things to learn from companies that are getting DEI right."

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Delegations arrive at the Trocadero as spectators watch French singer Philippe Katerine performing on a giant screen, in Paris, during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 26, 2024, in Paris.  (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)

In the days since the spectacle, notable figures like Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, fitness guru Jillian Michaels, Elon Musk, actress Candace Cameron Bure, and ex-transgender influencer Oli London publicly denounced the performance.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, conservative French politician and European Parliament member Marion Maréchaland and Hungary’s ambassador to the Vatican, Eduard Habsburg are among U.S. lawmakers and foreign officials who condemned the act.

U.S. Bishop Robert Barron's comments blasting the performance as a "gross, flippant mockery of the Christian faith" went viral. 

"I was shocked and dismayed," he said while recounting his initial reaction to the performance Sunday on "Fox News Live."

"I love the Olympics, I turned to it with great interest, and I see this mockery of 'The Last Supper,' and, for Christians, ‘The Last Supper’… we're at the center of Christianity… I guess everyone's included except for Christians, except for believers."

But while many insist the performance was a mockery of the iconic Da Vinci painting of Christ seated with his disciples, others claim it was intended to represent the feast of the Greek God Dionysus, and the outrage is misconstrued.

One X user wrote, "It wasn’t ‘The Last Supper.’ The blue guy rolling around on the table was supposed to be Dionysus, the Greek god of fertility and wine. Get a grip. Seriously."

Journalist Katherine Brodsky chimed in as well, writing, "Why this level of hate, genuinely? It's not The Last Supper, it's the Ancient Greek story of Dionysus."

The official X account for the Olympics shared a photo from the performance with the caption: "The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings."

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Bradley Schurman, author and CEO of Human Change, said the following in a statement to Fox News Digital:

"The controversy around the ‘Last Supper’ was likely because Christians misunderstood what they were seeing, which was actually the Feast of Dionysus, who was a Greek god. Christianity borrows much of its symbolism, iconography, and religious holidays from the Greeks and the Romans, so it’s not surprising they drew parallels. 

"Now, why were they so upset?" he continued. "American Christians have had a public problematic relationship with members of the LGBTQ community for decades. Seeing drag queens portray what they thought were Jesus and his disciples would be triggering. However, that was not the intent of the organizers."

As outrage ensues, event organizers insist the performance wasn't intended to offend anyone. 

Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps said via Reuters, that "there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group," and the opening ceremony aimed to "celebrate community tolerance."

"We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense, we are really sorry," she said.

Fox News' Cortney O'Brien, Brian Flood, Ryan Gaydos and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.