Reflections. Olympics. After the opening ceremony, offended Catholics

Reflections. Olympics. After the opening ceremony, offended Catholics

While the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games brought together millions of French people and viewers around the world in a great show paying tribute to the City of Light, the joy of the moment was tarnished by certain artistic biases. To the point of shocking some Christians during a more or less assumed evocation of the Holy Supper. A voluntary act or an unconscious gesture revealing the secularization of our society?

Knowing how to share moments of celebration is important. It is not for nothing that in our family lives, the so agreed appointments of birthday celebrations or moments of reunion deserve to deploy surprises, gifts, shared emotions. The official opening of the XXXIII Olympiad in Paris was the bearer of this hope, after the popular success of the flame’s journey across the territory. And even the throbbing rain could not discourage the goodwill of the organizers and participants. The moment was going to be grandiose.

And, in fact, one can marvel at the incredible work of organizing and securing this show given in the heart of the French capital. There was reason to be proud to see the shared joy of the young and old surrounding athletes from all over the world. The moment was supposed to be a truce, bringing together French people in their diversity. It was supposed to offer a moment that lived up to the ideals of universality of which France is one of the standard-bearers.

Why then did the bishops of France see fit to issue a statement on July 27 which, while rejoicing in the celebration, deplored “very deeply” “scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity”? They clearly did not allude to certain somewhat scabrous episodes of the evening, such as the evocation of the French Revolution by a character evoking Marie-Antoinette, holding her decapitated head in his hand. It is above all the episode opening a long sequence of a fashion show on one of the bridges of Paris that raises questions. We see there, seated at a table in outrageous postures, a series of characters who evoke the representation of the Last Supper according to Leonardo da Vinci. In the center, a corpulent woman with a halo takes the place of Jesus, surrounded by disciples, several of whom are drag queens. The scene will be followed by the surprise intervention of the artist Philippe Catherine, always provocative, who, made up as a blue Dionysus, evokes the parity that nudity provides. The table then transforms into catwalkhuge podium for fashion show.

Deep wounds

Bishop Emmanuel Gobilliard, the Bishop of Digne who is also the delegate for the Olympic Games, points out that the Olympic charter explicitly requires that no political, ideological or religious opinion be expressed. “I felt deeply hurt when I saw this scene,” confirms the prelate, who recognizes it as a form of unfortunate exclusion of a part of the French for an evening that was supposed to bring them together.

Social networks quickly became inflamed, particularly among opponents of the government, including figures from the National Rally or close to positions of Catholic nationalism. The argument of blasphemy was cited by some. Others deplored the apocalyptic symbolism and wokeist of the show. Even the Dominican YouTuber Fr. Paul-Adrien went for his “rant”, in a quickly shot video, expressing his dismay and anger. The influencer even invited his subscribers to stop letting this happen, judging that the cup is full. We also find a similar tone from a North American bishop, Mgr Robert Barron, who, in a video, deplores this outrage, while the United States has experienced in recent weeks an astonishing Eucharistic pilgrimage throughout the country.

So? Have some Catholics become vinegar pissers, incapable of accepting caricature and irony? Or is there an ideology at work in certain Parisian circles, in particular, which demonstrate the extent of the secularization underway, losing the very meaning of respect for each person’s convictions, in the name of a libertarian secularism?

Why such a diversion?

We could first simply ask ourselves why, in an evening evoking French genius, the reference to the painting by Last Supper according to Leonardo da Vinci is used, while the fresco is in a Milanese Dominican convent? Especially since, already, the Mona Lisaanother legendary work by the same artist, had been mocked during the ceremony, “pilfered” from the Louvre by the Minions, these whimsical animated characters who crossed the river in their submarine. Why then such an additional diversion? We dare to hope that it is not just a matter of making a good play on words between the Seine… and the Last Supper?

The iconoclasm of this daring diversion within the opening ceremony nevertheless serves as a reminder, in passing, that the Last Supper da Vinci is itself only an imaginary representation of an evangelical episode that ultimately remains elusive. Diverting a pictorial icon, however venerable it may be, reminds everyone that the pictorial purpose never encloses the reality it represents. Even more so when it concerns the Christian faith. The outrage to a sacred work is therefore not necessarily in itself a blasphemous intention.

Of course, the choice of transgender artists and drag was not insignificant, in an approach of the organizers who insisted on the importance of inclusiveness and parity throughout these Games. Thus, the image of the last torchbearers, a mixture of athletes of different ages, of different origins and with or without a disability, will remain in people’s minds, with happiness.

Sensitive minds

But not sure that this claim can be sustained with this reference to the Last Supper. For a show broadcast across the planet, this freedom was perhaps one too many. Moreover, some broadcasters temporarily cut this passage out of respect for the sensitivity of their spectators. This long sequence, supported by a thunderous nightclub playlist, wanted to say too much. This assumed mix of the fashion world, dance, the Parisian nightlife and the LGBT+ community expressed too many things for the clash of minds to be avoided, despite the undeniable artistic energy of the moment. Beyond the religious provocation, frankly useless and incomprehensible, this moment also misled the spectator, French in particular, into very particular Parisian circles, far removed from the daily life of most of us. Several scenes, previously, had already evoked the life of Parisian music halls, with in particular a wild French Cancan. Should we claim without trembling this bourgeois icon of a roguish Paris, a mecca in certain tourist districts?

A final word. With the tensions that have accumulated over the last few months in French society, we can sense that some minds are on edge and sensitive. The slightest provocation is amplified at the speed of light. And the same is true in certain Christian circles that are becoming more radical in their relationship with society. We must hope that the energy of the Olympic sporting events will relieve the pressure and allow the closing ceremony, in particular the upcoming one, to aim for more harmony than additional provocative artistic gestures.

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