VATICAN CITY: The Vatican said on Saturday it had been saddened by a skit at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony appearing to parody Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” painting.
“The Holy See was saddened by certain scenes at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games and cannot but join the voices raised in recent days to deplore the offense done to many Christians and believers of other religions,” it said in an unusual weekend evening press release issued in French.
The segment in the July 26 ceremony resembled the biblical scene of Jesus Christ and his apostles sharing a last meal before crucifixion, but featured drag queens, a transgender model and a naked singer as the Greek god of wine Dionysus.
Paris 2024 organizers apologized two days later, saying there was never an intention to disrespect any religious group.
The artistic director behind the scene said it had not been inspired by the Christian last supper, but rather a pagan feast linked to the historical Olympics.
“In a prestigious event where the whole world comes together around common values, there should not be allusions ridiculing the religious convictions of many people,” the Vatican added.
“Freedom of expression, which is obviously not called into question, finds its limit in respect for others.”
The Vatican did not say why it was issuing its statement more than a week after the opening ceremony.
Pope Francis had a phone call on Aug. 1 with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, at which Erdogan said the two leaders had discussed the Paris event.
Although the Vatican later confirmed to Reuters that the call took place, it would not comment on what the leaders discussed.
Vatican saddened by Olympic ceremony skit resembling ‘Last Supper’
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Vatican saddened by Olympic ceremony skit resembling ‘Last Supper’
- “The Holy See was saddened by certain scenes at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games,” it said in an unusual weekend evening press release issued in French
- Paris 2024 organizers apologized two days later, saying there was never an intention to disrespect any religious group
Russian drone attack forces power cuts in Ukraine’s Kryvyi Rih, military says
- Kyiv says the campaign has forced rolling outages and emergency cuts to cities across the country, as repair crews work under fire and Ukraine relies on air defenses and electricity imports to stabilize the grid
KYIV: Russian drones struck infrastructure in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on Wednesday, forcing emergency power blackouts for more than 45,000 customers and disrupting heat supplies, military administration head Oleksandr Vilkul said.
“Please fill up on water and charge your devices, if you have the chance. It’s going to be difficult,” Vilkul said on the Telegram messaging app.
Water utility pumping stations switched to generators and water remained in the system, but there could be pressure problems.
The full scale of the attack was not immediately known. There was no comment from Russia about the strike.
Russia has repeatedly struck Ukraine’s power plants, substations and transmission lines with missiles and drones, seeking to knock out electricity and heating and hinder industry during the nearly four-year war.
Kyiv says the campaign has forced rolling outages and emergency cuts to cities across the country, as repair crews work under fire and Ukraine relies on air defenses and electricity imports to stabilize the grid.
Kryvyi Rih, a steel-and-mining hub in the Dnipropetrovsk region and President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown, has been hit repeatedly, with strikes killing civilians and damaging homes and industry.
The city sits close enough to southern front lines to be within strike range, while its factories, logistics links and workforce make it economically important and a key rear-area center supporting Ukraine’s war effort.
