The bishop of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, one of many main Catholic media voices, referred to as for mockery of Christianity and the Final Supper on the theatrical opening of the 2024 Summer season Olympics in Paris, asking if Olympic organizers would take into account insulting Muslims. religion
“One query I’d elevate — everyone knows the reply: ‘Would they ever dare to mock Islam in the identical means?'” requested Bishop Robert E. Barron, who can also be the founding father of “Phrases on Hearth.” Ministry, at an ex-post.
Barron mentioned that the enemies of Christianity goal Christians in a battle that’s being fought proper now:
Pals, my ideas on the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. #Olympiads2024 #Olympic Games pic.twitter.com/xU1ljFMZft
— Bishop Robert Barron (@BishopBarron) July 27, 2024
“We must always belief them,” he mentioned.
“They’re telling us who they’re,” he mentioned. “We must always consider them, however as well as, we Christians – we Catholics – shouldn’t be like sheep. We must always resist. We must always make our voices heard.”
The opening ceremony of every Olympiad is at all times a chance for the host nation to current its tradition to a worldwide viewers that may quantity within the billions.
Friday’s spectacle marked the primary time that the opening ceremony was not held on the most important Olympic stadium. As a substitute, organizers additionally staged performances by Beyoncé, Celine Dion and Girl Gaga throughout Paris, complemented by rooftop gymnasts and a mysterious masked male character in 18th-century costume strolling by way of the town carrying the Olympic torch.
All through the town, the French have erected statues honoring the ten golden heroines of French historical past: Olympe de Gouges, Alice Miliat, Giselle Halimi, Simone de Beauvoir, Paulette Nardal, Jean Barrett, Louise Michel, Christine de Pizan, Alice Man and Simone Veil.
By some means, St. Joan of Arc, did not minimize it.
There was additionally a singing and dancing drag queen section, which appeared to hook up with the drag staging of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Final Supper” portray. This stage culminated in a drag determine of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, gluttony and frivolity.
The interpretation of the Greek god Dionysus makes us conscious of the absurdity of violence in people. #Paris2024 #Opening ceremony pic.twitter.com/FBlQNNUmvV
— Olympic Video games (@olympics) July 26, 2024
A easy clarification for this juxtaposition is that the organizers have been mocking Jesus Christ’s commemoration of the transformation of the bread and wine on the desk to the apostles into Christ’s physique and blood, which Catholics have fun at Mass with a rival deity. Take various wine with.
“Did they ever dream {that a} scene within the Koran was imagined to be so grossly, overtly mocked?” requested the bishop, consecrated in 2015 after Pope Francis named him an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and titular bishop of Macriana, Mauritania.
Barron mentioned there is no want to really ask questions or look forward to solutions.
“Everyone knows the reply to that. I believe the fascinating factor right here, of us, is that this deeply secular, postmodern society is aware of who its enemies are,” he mentioned.
WATCH: Anti-Catholic “Final Supper” Scene That includes Drag Queens Throughout Olympics Opening Ceremony
Merely soiled.
Evil.pic.twitter.com/OYB4GUdDgB
— CatholicVote (@CatholicVote) July 26, 2024
Learn Associated:
WATCH: Insane Revival Overtakes Olympics, ‘Drag Queens’ Mock Christianity in Shocking Show
Barron mentioned he had simply arrived house from the Nationwide Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis and turned on the TV to look at the opening ceremony like some other time.
“Only a few days in the past, I used to be in Indianapolis for the great celebration of the Eucharistic Congress, the place 50,000 Catholics gathered to worship the Lord and have fun the Actual Presence of Jesus within the Blessed Sacrament,” he mentioned. “I come house, and I like the Olympics.”
The Chicago native mentioned she was additionally wanting ahead to the present as a result of she studied there.
“It is in Paris, France, a metropolis I like — I spent three years there as a doctoral pupil,” he mentioned.
“What do you see? However this gross mockery of the Final Supper, and I will not describe it any additional, simply go browsing. It has gone viral. You possibly can see it,” he mentioned.
“France felt, apparently, because it was making an attempt to place its finest cultural foot ahead, the suitable factor to do was to mock this central second in Christianity the place Jesus and his Final Supper gave his physique and blood in anticipation of the cross,” he mentioned.
At the very least one French politician, Marion Maréchal, who represents France within the European Parliament, has posted her personal disgust:
“To all of the Christians on this planet watching the #Paris2024 occasion and feeling insulted by this drag queen parody of the Final Supper, know that this isn’t France however a leftist minority prepared for any provocation,” mentioned
Baron, the previous rector of Mundelein Seminary on the College of Saint Mary of the Lake, his alma mater, mentioned he discovered it notably disturbing that the French mocked Christianity as a result of that religion custom is central to French tradition.
“What’s offered, although, is that this gross form of mockery,” Baron mentioned.
“France, which was referred to as the eldest daughter of the Church – Paris, which gave us, Thomas Aquinas taught there, and Vincent de Paul was there. King Louis IX–St. Louis,” he mentioned.
“France, whose tradition — and I imply that respect for human rights and freedom of the person could be very a lot based mostly in Christianity — thought the suitable factor to do was to mock the Christian religion.”
