The Paris Olympics organization has denied any intention to offend religious groups after criticism from Christians and conservatives over the opening ceremony. At issue is a sequence that has been interpreted as a reference to a Last Supper Leonardo da Vinci’s painting depicts the moment Jesus Christ announced that an apostle would betray him. The scene was attended by DJ and producer Barbara Boch – an icon of the LGBTQ+ community – surrounded by artists pull And the dancers.

However, the artistic director of the ceremony, Thomas Joly, denied this today, Sunday. Last Supper It served as inspiration for the number. “The idea was to have a big pagan party linked to the Olympian gods,” Julie told BFMTV. Furthermore, the presence of a masked actor as Dionysus suggests that this was not a representation of the moment of Jesus’ betrayal.

However, religious conservatives around the world have condemned the clip, with the French Catholic Bishops' Conference denouncing “scenes of mockery” that they said mocked Christianity – a sentiment shared by the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova.

The Anglican community in Egypt expressed its “deep regret” on Sunday, noting that the ceremony could cause the IOC to lose its “distinctive sporting identity and humanitarian mission.”

Jolie denied any intention to confront religious groups and said the aim was to celebrate diversity and praise the festival and French cuisine.

Meanwhile, Paris 2024 spokeswoman Anne Descamps was questioned about the protests during an IOC press conference. “It is clear that there was absolutely no intention to disrespect any religious community. On the contrary, I believe that [com] “Thomas Joly, we really tried to celebrate the tolerance of society,” said Descamps. “Given the results of the surveys we shared, we believe that this ambition has been achieved. If people were offended, we are of course very sorry.”

As Jolie explained his intentions to The Associated Press after the ceremony: “My intention was not to be subversive, nor to mock or shock. Above all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion rather than division.”

News corrected at 5:03 p.m.: Losa's original text incorrectly linked the sequence in question to the Last Supper painting, which the concert's artistic director denies.