(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) The 'naked blue man' who took part in the controversial Last Supper parody at the Paris olympics 2024 opening ceremony has spoken out about the contentious performance.
French actor and singer Philippe Katerine portrayed the Greek god of wine, Dionysus, in a recreation of the iconic biblical scene of Jesus Christ and his twelve apostles sharing a final meal before the crucifixion.
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However, the artistic rendition, which featured drag queens and a transgender model, has sparked outrage among some Christians, who have accused it of being a 'gross mockery' of their religion.
Katerine dismissed the critics, telling BFM TV, "It wouldn't be fun if there were no controversy. Wouldn't it be boring if everyone agreed on this planet?"
Others were less impressed, accusing the organizers of creating a 'woke' parody of Leonardo da Vinci's iconic painting.
The performance featured models, dancers, fashion icons, and drag queens from the host nation, gathered on a bridge over the capital's river around a table that also doubled as a catwalk.
At the center was a woman in front of DJ equipment, wearing a golden halo-style crown, surrounded by several drag queens and dozens of dancers and performers.
A fashion show spotlighting clothing from France's most promising young designers took center stage, with slick choreography performed by those seated on either side.
Among the attendees was Drag Race icon Nicky Doll, known for her appearances on the French franchise, RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs The World, and as the host of France's own version.
Some puzzled viewers took to social media to label Katerine's portrayal of Dionysus as a 'smurf.' He was dressed in a skintight blue bodysuit that left little to the imagination and was seen reclining on a giant platter adorned with fake fruits and other foods.
"This ceremony unfortunately included scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity, which we deeply deplore," said the Conference of French Bishops in a statement.
Tesla and SpaceX owner Elon Musk, who recently supported Donald Trump for the US presidency following the assassination attempt on Trump's life, criticized the Last Supper depiction as 'extremely disrespectful to Christians.'
He added, "Christianity has become toothless."
Catholic Bishop Robert Barron posted a video message stating, "I love the Olympics, so I turn on the opening ceremony of the Olympics. And what do I see now? It's in Paris, France, a city I love, I spent three years as a doctoral student there."
"I see this gross mockery of the last supper and I won't describe it any further.
France felt evidently as it's trying to put its best cultural foot forward, that 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.
It's presented through this gross or flippant mockery. France which used to be called the oldest daughter of the church," he added.
"France has sent Catholic visionaries all over the world. France whose culture and I mean the honouring of the individual, in human rights and of freedom is grounded very much in Christianity.
It [France] felt the right thing to do was to mock the Christian faith.
Now a question I would pose, and we all know the answer to it, would they ever have dared mock Islam in a similar way. Would they ever have dreamed mocking in this gross and public way, a scene from the Quran. And as I say we all know the answer," Barron further stated.
"What's interesting here is this deeply secularist, [post-modern society knows who its enemy is, they're naming them, and we should believe them, because this is who they are.
But furthermore we Christians, Catholics, should not be sheepish. We should resist, we should make our voices heard," he concluded.
France, proud of its rich Catholic heritage, also has a longstanding tradition of secularism and anti-clericalism. Blasphemy is legal and regarded by many as a crucial pillar of freedom of speech in a democratic society.
Thomas Jolly, the ceremony's artistic director, said, "In France, people are free to love how they please, are free to love whoever they want, are free to believe or not believe."
In addition to the controversy surrounding the Last Supper depiction, Friday's Opening Ceremony saw nearly 8,000 athletes drenched as heavy rain forced some spectators to leave early.
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Critics labeled the four-hour show as the 'worst ever,' with viewers reporting poor audio due to the near-torrential rain and joking online that organizers needed to 'stop the boats.'
Hundreds of thousands of spectators watched as 6,800 athletes, covered in plastic ponchos, tried to keep spirits high while traveling down the river Seine in a massive flotilla of 85 boats.
Performances by Lady Gaga and around 3,000 dancers, acrobats, and actors were difficult to hear over the rain, leading viewers to call it 'the worst Olympic opening ceremony in memory.'
The display was marred by gaffes with country names, issues with mounting the Olympic flag, and bizarre scenes, including a headless Marie Antoinette singing, as the sport began in earnest the following morning.
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