Bishops complain of 'mockery of Christianity' Far-right calls Olympics ceremony 'woke' – Current Affairs

The Friday night procession offered “extraordinary moments of beauty, joy and rich emotions, and was universally acclaimed,” the French bishops' conference said in a statement Saturday.

“However, this ceremony unfortunately included scenes of mockery and ridicule of Christianity, which we deeply regret,” the bishops said.

Although they didn't point to specific parts, they were apparently referring to a segment titled “Celebration,” which began with a group of dancers and drag queens sitting in poses reminiscent of images of the Last Supper, the final meal Jesus is said to have eaten with his apostles.

The music was played by DJ Barbara Butch, a lesbian activist, who sat in the middle wearing a silver halo-like headdress.

“We think of all Christians on all continents who have been affected by the abuses and provocations in certain scenes,” the bishops added in a statement co-signed by the Sacred Games, a sports programme funded by the Catholic Church.

Conservatives and far-right politicians in France were also horrified by what they saw as a “woke” show, featuring LGBT performers and a very ethnically diverse cast.

The four-hour ceremony saw athletes sail six kilometres up the River Seine in 85 boats, marking the first time the Summer Olympics have started outside the main stadium.

Among the performers, Lady Gaga and French-Malian R&B star Aya Nakamura performed from riverside venues, while Quebec-born Celine Dion closed the show with a rousing solo from the Eiffel Tower.

Julien Odoul, spokesman for France's far-right National Rally party, called the concert “a plunder of French culture,” while conservative American businessman Elon Musk called it “deeply offensive to Christians.”

'A Love Letter'
The show's artistic director, Thomas Joly, who is gay, promised last week that the ceremony would celebrate “diversity” and “otherness.”

He said at a news conference on Saturday that his intention was not to “vandalize, mock or shock.”

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“Above all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of integration, not division,” he added.

“In France, we have the right to love how we want, and who we want. In France, we can believe (in religion) or not. In France, we have many rights,” he added.

Foreign conservatives, such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who sees himself as a defender of “traditional” values ​​in Europe, on Saturday denounced the “weakness and disintegration of the Western world” shown by the opening ceremony.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the show a “parody of a Christian holy story” and a “massive gay parade.”

Russia, which banned so-called “gay propaganda” in 2013, was excluded from the Paris Olympics over its invasion of Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron defended Jolie, saying the ceremony “made his compatriots very proud.”

Reviews of the music, costumes, and new exterior were mixed.

French sports newspaper L'Equipe said it “left memories for a century”, while Le Monde said “this exceptional opening ceremony met the challenge that pessimists thought was impossible”.

But critic Arifa Akbar, writing in the Guardian, said there were some “utterly bizarre organisational decisions”.

“Paris is known for its good taste, but this group seems like a mismatch,” he said.

Critic Mike Hale, writing in The New York Times, said the ceremony seemed “bloated” and “served to belittle the athletes” by being “light on humor and heavy on pretense.”

The ceremony was attended by about 300,000 spectators on the banks of the river, at a cost that often amounted to hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of euros.

Although many remained optimistic despite the rain, others complained about the monotonous display and boat parade most of the time, with singers and dancers stretched out along the entire route.

American Olympic legend Michael Johnson endorsed the format, writing in X, “I'm not sure the spectator experience was great, but I think the athletes enjoyed this opening ceremony.”

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) praised Jolie's work.