Visit our website:
http://www.france24.com
Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English
Follow us on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/France24_en
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Well, most significantly, we've heard from the deputy prime minister himself,
00:04the leader of the right wing anti-immigrant party, the League Party, Matteo Salvini.
00:09He took to social media on Saturday, saying that opening the Olympics,
00:14insulting millions of Christians in the world is really a bad start.
00:20Dear French people, it's squalid.
00:22Now, he posted this message together with two photos,
00:27one showing the apparent drag queen-led parody of The Last Supper,
00:32which was seen in one of the scenes during that Olympic opening ceremony.
00:37And he contrasted that with the actual image of the painting of The Last Supper
00:42by Leonardo da Vinci, one of the most famous paintings in the world
00:46that is located in Milan here in Italy.
00:49So clearly feeling that that somehow
00:53insulted the feelings of Christians around the world.
00:56We also heard from other members of Italy's far-right Brothers of Italy Party.
01:01That's the party of Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni.
01:04Some of the lawmakers, one of them saying, ironically, it felt more like gay pride.
01:10It wasn't really the opening of the Olympics.
01:12Another senator saying essentially that this ceremony brought shame
01:18and embarrassment to France and to Europe.
01:21And they also reacted to the fact that Italy's president, Sergio Mattarella,
01:26was seen wearing a raincoat looking rather disheveled
01:29when he waved to the Italian Olympic team,
01:32in sharp contrast, they say, to President Macron, who was under shelter.
01:36But it's clear that the parties of these leaders
01:40have in the past contrasted with the French president.
01:43And so perhaps it was in that light,
01:45but clearly they didn't like that sentiment of what they felt
01:49was an insult to Christians around the world,
01:51particularly that scene of The Last Supper.
01:54So the French Catholic Church has come out and criticized that Last Supper parody,
01:59which was performed by drag queens, as you said.
02:02You're near the Vatican in Rome.
02:04Have there been other reactions from the Catholic world specifically?
02:11Well, we haven't heard specifically from the Vatican,
02:13but we have heard now from those French bishops, as you mentioned.
02:16I mean, they started off talking about how there were moments of beauty and joy
02:21during the ceremony, but they deeply regretted what they said
02:25was scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity.
02:29They said Christians could be hurt by these excesses
02:33and provocation of certain scenes.
02:35Now, they didn't actually mention that specific scene,
02:38but one can assume perhaps that that was what they were referring to.
02:42We've also heard from across the pond, conservative Catholics in the US,
02:47particularly Bishop Robert Barron, who has a very strong presence online
02:53and on social media.
02:55He actually posted a video saying that it was a gross mockery of The Last Supper.
03:01It was blasphemous and emblematic of a deeply secular postmodern society,
03:08saying that it identifies Christianity as the enemy in such a representation.
03:12But of course, those are what some Catholic leaders have to say.
03:15Others, though, perhaps maybe enjoyed the ceremony,
03:18maybe found some portions a little bit hard to understand.
03:21But now, I guess, all concentration on the games itself.