The opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics featured a controversial performance by drag queens parodying Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper," sparking outrage among Christian leaders and conservative commentators.
The opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics have sparked outrage among Christians and conservative commentators after a performance by drag queens parodying Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper."
The performance, which was part of the opening ceremonies on Friday, featured a large woman in a halo crown and numerous performers, including drag queens, parodying Christ and his apostles at the Last Supper.
Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony Sparks Outrage with Drag Queen 'Last Supper' Parody
Prominent Catholic leader and evangelist Bishop Robert Barron condemned the performance, calling it a "gross mockery" of a central moment in Christianity.
"France felt evidently, as it's trying to put its best cultural foot forward, the right thing to do is to mock this very central moment in Christianity, where Jesus at His Last Supper gives His body and blood in anticipation of the cross," Barron said. "And so it's presented though as this gross sort of flippant mockery."
Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony Sparks Outrage with Drag Queen 'Last Supper' Parody
Barron, who is the head of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota, told Fox News Digital that the performance was a sign that Christians in the West are becoming too passive and "weak."
"I think, folks, what's interesting here is this deeply secularist, postmodern society knows who its enemy is. They're naming it. And we should believe them," Barron said. "We Christians, we Catholics should not be sheepish, we should resist, we should make our voices heard."
Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony Sparks Outrage with Drag Queen 'Last Supper' Parody
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Barron instructed Christians on how to push back against this antagonism, stating, "Christians should always resist evil, and I think we have indeed become too weak in the face of our cultural antagonists. Jesus' command to turn the other cheek is by no means equivalent to passivity, as is evident in the work of Martin Luther King."
He also stressed the effectiveness of social media in fighting evil, saying, "I do believe that today the social media give us a means to accomplish all of these ends. This is why I used my own platforms to resist what was going on in Paris – and I think it was pretty effective."
The performance has also been criticized by conservative commentators, including former NCAA Division I swimmer Paula Scanlan and former Levi's brand president Jennifer Sey.
Scanlan, who is now a conservative activist, tweeted that the performance was "dedicated to the woke."
Sey, who is a vocal critic of transgenderism, tweeted that the performance was "disrespectful and offensive."
The performance has been defended by some as a form of artistic expression. The Paris Olympics organizing committee has not commented on the controversy.
