Many French people are reacting to the controversial opening ceremony of the Olympics in Paris on Friday, and not all of the reactions have been positive.
The opening ceremony was primarily held as a boat parade on the Seine River, featuring performances by international artists such as Celine Dion and Olympic athletes aboard boats designated by each country.
The ceremony also featured a live re-enactment of “The Last Supper,” complete with drag queens and a love triangle. Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of “The Last Supper” is not in Paris, but in the refectory of the Santa Maria delle Grazie monastery in Italy.
Catholic viral leader: Christians must not be “weak” before the spectacle of the Olympic opening
The French Bishops’ Conference issued a statement about X, saying: “Unfortunately, the ceremony included scenes of mockery and insult to Christianity. We deeply regret this and would like to thank the members of other religious denominations who have expressed their solidarity with us.”
“This morning we think of all Christians on every continent who have been hurt by the outrage and provocativeness of particular scenes,” the French Bishops’ Conference added.
French President Emmanuel Macron also defended the controversial opening ceremony through X, saying, “I would like to thank Thomas Joly and his creativity for making this magnificent ceremony possible. I would like to thank the artists for offering us this unique and magical moment. I would like to thank the police and emergency services, our agents and volunteers.”
Macron added: “Thank you to everyone who believed in this. Let’s talk about this again in 100 years! We did it!”
Chiefs’ Harrison Butker criticizes ‘Last Supper’ parody at Paris Olympics: ‘This is insane’
Thomas Joly (42) is a French actor and director from Rouen who was appointed director of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Paris Olympics two years ago.
However, not all French people shared the same appreciation for the ritual.
Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet, French President Emmanuel Macron and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach attend the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (Christian Livig – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
“As a genuinely patriotic French woman, I withdraw from this extraordinary situation and apologise to the whole world,” wrote French X user @JulietteBriens.
Her post included screenshots of what were considered some of the most controversial moments from the ceremony, including a close-up of a love triangle scene.
Another French X-user, @Arwenstar, posted: “As a French woman I am deeply embarrassed by this #OpeningCeremony and I want to apologise to the whole world for subjecting you all to this sick farce. Don’t hate us, it’s not us, it’s the woke metropolitan elites, they are the ones ruining everything.”
Florent Manaudou, flag bearer for the French team, waves the flag during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024 in Paris, France. (VCG via Getty Images)
A video of a French family reacting to a re-enactment of “The Last Supper” has gone viral online, with the caption “POV: Watching the Olympic opening ceremony and realising it’s the final season of the Smurfs.”
In the video, a family member can be heard yelling, “No no no no no! What is that?”
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A total of 28.6 million Americans tuned in to watch the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, Variety reported.
