Organizers Apologise For The Last Supper Tableau

Paris 2024 Olympic ceremony draws criticism from Church

Organizers apologise for 'The Last Supper' tableau

Paris 2024 organisers have apologised to Catholics and other Christian groups angered after a kitsch tableau evoked Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper during the opening ceremony.

The performance, which featured actors dressed as priests and nuns, was seen as disrespectful and offensive by some religious leaders.

"This was a deeply offensive and disrespectful performance that has no place in the Olympic Games," said Cardinal Robert Sarah, the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

"The Olympic Games are a celebration of human achievement, not a platform for the promotion of blasphemy and sacrilege."

The Paris 2024 organisers have since apologised for the performance, saying that they "regret any offence that may have been caused."

"The intention of the performance was to celebrate the diversity of French culture, and we apologise if it was not received in that spirit," a spokesperson for the organisers said.

Conclusion

The controversy over the performance is a reminder of the challenges that organisers of major sporting events face in balancing the need to be inclusive and respectful of all cultures with the desire to create a memorable and entertaining spectacle.