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From Donald Trump saying it was “a disgrace,” to billionaire Elon Musk denouncing an act “extremely disrespectful to Christians,” several unexpected personalities took a stand against the apparent mocking of the Last Supper, seen in part of the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics, broadcast worldwide on Friday, July 26, 2024.
On Saturday morning, the French bishops deplored “scenes of mockery and derision of Christianity,” explaining that Christians around the world had been “hurt by the outrageousness and provocation of certain scenes.”
In this context, Pope Francis’ words after praying last Sunday’s Angelus were particularly scrutinized. But once again, Francis preferred to take a sideways step, mentioning the Olympic Games but to denounce other issues.
“While there are many people in the world who suffer due to disasters and hunger, we continue to produce and sell weapons and burn resources fueling wars, large and small,” he said. “This is an outrage that the international community should not tolerate, and it contradicts the spirit of brotherhood of the Olympic Games that have just begun.”
Pope Francis, who hardly ever watches television since offering a vow to Mary, probably didn’t watch the Ceremonies live, even though he is naturally informed of international current events. Above all, “Pope Francis hates acting under media pressure,” highlights a source from Rome. On the other hand, the Pope is a great promoter of sports, and the many possible Christian values that can be promoted through them: fraternity, cooperation, joy, etc. He is particularly a fan of soccer, as is typical of his homeland.
Bishops to “do the job”
Another key to understanding the Pope’s attitude lies in the principle of subsidiarity, which in this case could mean leaving it up to the bishops concerned to respond and sort things out with those responsible.
Bishop Emmanuel Gobilliard of Digne and the delegate of the Church in France for the Olympics firmly assumed the role of unofficial spokesman for the Church. He noted that the “anti-Christian mockery excluded people when the show should have brought them together.” He was also behind the statement issued by the French bishops expressing both the hurt of Catholics and their desire to contribute to the success of the Paris Olympics.
The Vatican spoke out through the voice of Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, who supported this stance. “The French bishops were good and brave. And for my part, I cannot but approve their words from first to last,” he said.
Another sign of Rome’s support for the French bishops, is that their statement was immediately relayed by the Holy See’s media outlets.
There were also other statements came from cardinals close to Pope Francis. Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg, who will welcome the Pope to his diocese in September, was present in Rome as part of an international pilgrimage of altar servers, and spoke out firmly, denouncing the “inadmissible” staging.
“I am sad. We respect diversity in the world, and we also want European liberal society to respect Christians and not do anything against their religious feelings,” said the Jesuit Cardinal who is familiar with debates on respect of religious identities in Europe.
Pope Francis’ critical view of French culture
Although the Pope has not expressed his views on the opening ceremony, his personal stance on French culture can be discerned in some of his statements. In an interview published in 2016 by French daily La Croix, Pope Francis criticized France for “exaggerating secularism,” with a tendency to “consider religions as a subculture rather than a culture in their own right. I’m afraid that this approach, which is understandable given the heritage of the Enlightenment, still remains.”
The Pope had also distanced himself from the “Charlie spirit” that has become almost an official doctrine of French diplomacy after the terrorist attack on the headquarters of the satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, on January 7, 2015. Freedom of expression does not authorize everything, and respect for others should imply a desire to avoid intentional offense, Pope Francis emphasized around a week later on a plane on the way to the Philippines.
“We cannot provoke others, we cannot insult their faith, we cannot mock their faith,” he underlined. “All those people who belittle religions, who mock them, who ‘toy with’ other people’s religion, they antagonize others.”
These remarks can also be applied to the opening ceremony of the Olympics, which seems to have created unease even within the Olympic movement. On Saturday, a spokesperson for the Olympics’ Organizing Committee said that the provocative show was intended to generate a certain effect. The following day, however, there was some backtracking with a new communications strategy, as another spokesperson said they were “really sorry” if anyone had been offended by the show.
Olympic diplomacy
A diplomatic source also stressed that the Holy See wants to “avoid getting into polemics with the Olympic world as its close and ongoing.” Pope Francis’ meetings with sports federations have multiplied in recent years, leading to the Athletica Vaticana’s inclusion in several international federations, paving the way for example for the world’s smallest state to be accredited for the world cycling championships.
The Vatican’s direct involvement in the next Olympics is still highly hypothetical, but not out of the question, as visits to Rome by the International Olympic Committee’s President, Thomas Bach, have established numerous contacts. In September 2022, the Vatican and the IOC co-hosted a forum in Rome on the theme of “Sport for All.” The IOC President’s participation in the opening Mass of the Paris Olympics, celebrated on July 19 at the La Madeleine Church, is also a fruit of these efforts.
The Pope thus remains at a distance from certain Catholic voices denouncing the Olympics as a manifestation of paganism, and in this he is in full continuity with his predecessors. For example, on December 8, 2005, Benedict XVI, who was more interested in Formula 1 than in Olympic sports, blessed the Olympic flame for the Turin Winter Games, which was carried by a Swiss Guard to St. Peter’s Square at the start of its journey through Italy.
Pope Pius X’s 1903 support for Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the inspiration behind the Olympic movement, John XXIII’s blessing of the 1960 Olympics in Rome, and messages to athletes from Pius XII and John Paul II are also milestones in the long history of relations between popes and the Olympics, which will not be called into question by a show of dubious taste.
And today we celebrate...