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If an apology is condescending or not sincere, you’re better off not saying anything at all. The opening ceremonies at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games were defaced by an anti-Christian mockery of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper”. Representative Anne Descamps said the depiction did what it was supposed to and she’s sorry if Christians interpreted it differently. That’s their story.
The apology is all cosmetic
The Olympic committee said it had to do more with Grecian gods instead of the Christian God. USA Today described it,
“During Friday’s ceremony, there was a moment on the Debilly Bridge over the Seine when the camera cut to French DJ and producer Barbara Butch, who describes herself as a ‘love activist.’ Butch wore a blue dress with a silver headdress and as the camera panned out, she was flanked by drag queens on both sides. Later appeared a nearly naked man painted in blue − a portrayal of Dionysus, the god of wine-making, vegetation, fertility and ecstasy − on a dinner plate surrounded by food. He then sang as the people around him danced, and it turned into a runway scene where models walked across.”
The Olympic Games account said, “The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings.” But nobody was buying this.
Once it was clear an uproar was in the works, the artistic director of the opening ceremonies Thomas Jolly came out and said there was no intent to “be subversive or shock people or mock people. The idea was to have a pagan celebration connected to the gods of Olympus. You will never find in me a desire to mock and denigrate anyone.”
The apology was hollow
Right. The committee probably thought you’d believe this. There were probably people who did believe this. Both have vacuums in their heads.
Those who believe in God let their voices be heard. The French Bishops’ Conference said it was a “mockery and derision of Christianity” and that it felt the pain of those “hurt by the outrageousness and provocation of certain scenes.”
Bishop Robert Barron of Minnesota said it desecrated “a very central moment in Christianity.” Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said it was “shocking and insulting.”
The apology backfired
Descamps spoke out of both sides of her mouth, apologizing that you saw them doing something they claim to not be doing.
“Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. On the contrary, I think [with] Thomas Jolly, we really did try to celebrate community tolerance. Looking at the result of the polls that we shared, we believe that this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense, we are, of course, really, really sorry.”
No, you’re not. Descamps said to Christians’ faces that the artistic director knew nothing of an image of the world’s largest religion.
We’re supposed to believe everybody involved in this went into this thinking it had to do with Grecian gods. And if it looked like The Last Supper, they’re terribly sorry if our backgrounds don’t allow us to see the amazing cultural display for what it was.
