Pastors Counter Conservative Fury Over Olympics 'Last Supper' Performance

Two pastors have publicly pushed back against claims from conservatives that a scene from the Paris Olympic opening ceremony depicted the "Last Supper," instead countering that it represented the Feast of Dionysus.

On Friday evening, the four-hour Olympic opening ceremony showcased a blend of modern and historic French culture, featuring diverse artistic expressions and a wide representation of sexuality, identity, fashion, music, and culture.

At one point, there appeared to be a scene that many say represented famed Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper," which depicts Jesus at a long table with the Twelve Apostles. The reenactment featured drag queens and dancers behind a shimmery blue naked body on a plate at the center of the table.

The scene drew sharp criticism from conservative Christians, with numerous political leaders and devout parishioners calling it offensive and disrespectful to Christian values and faith.

The French Catholic Church's conference of bishops condemned the performance for its "mockery and derision of Christianity," posting an official English statement saying, "We are thinking of all the Christians on every continent who have been hurt by the outrageousness and provocation of certain scenes."

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, posted to X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday that it was a "mockery" and "insulting to Christian people around the world," adding that "the war on our faith and traditional values knows no bounds today. But we know that truth and virtue will always prevail."

Senator Katie Britt, an Alabama Republican, called it "disgraceful" while Representative Lauren Boebert, a Colorado Republican, described it as "disgusting," adding that "Christians are constantly subject to this abuse." Others, like Elon Musk, who said it was "extremely disrespectful" have also spoken out against the performance.

However, at least two Christian leaders are countering claims that depicted the "Last Supper," such as Atlanta Pastor Cassie Noland Rapko who wrote on Facebook on Saturday, "It was the Feast of Dionysus. Greek God of festivity and feasting and ritual and theater. The Olympics are from Greek culture and tradition. French culture is deeply rooted in feasting and festivity and performing arts."

Rapko's post has been shared almost 5,000 times on Facebook and has been screenshotted and widely circulated on X.

Rapko told Newsweek in an email on Sunday, "The debate surrounding whether or not the imagery of the opening ceremonies echoed The Last Supper misses the bigger picture of Jesus putting people above social systems and culture. It's always people first."

She also noted that "art is a great way for us to encounter cultures with which we are not the most familiar. It highlights beauty and has the ability to offer social critique and generate dialogue."

"However, rather than drum up division, I would hope that a concern with how Christian symbols are depicted in any culture would lead to us living like Jesus has called us to, with concern for others; children who go to bed hungry at night, those sleeping on the streets with no home, and those lost in the shadows of oppression," Rapko said.

Reverend Benjamin Cremer, who is also a pastor, shared Rapko's post on X in a thread suggesting that the scene was not the "Last Supper."

On Sunday morning, he wrote on X, "I just don't think we Christians realize how fragile we make our faith look when we act as though something like artistic expression represents an existential threat to us. We have allowed fear and suspicion to overtake our public witness rather than love and understanding."

On Friday, Thomas Jolly, the show's artistic director, told the Associated Press, "My wish isn't to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock. Most of all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion and not at all to divide." The opening ceremony has been lauded as one of the most LGBTQ+-visible Olympic ceremonies.

The Olympic Games' official X page posted photos of the scene and wrote Friday, "The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings." Dionysus is the Greek god of winemaking, fertility, and festivity, among others.

On Sunday morning, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) released a public statement on the matter, and wrote, "The IOC has taken note of and welcomes the clarification given by the Paris 2024 Organising Committee regarding the Opening Ceremony. There was never any intention to show disrespect toward any religious group or belief." It concluded that "if anyone was offended by certain scenes, this was completely unintentional and they [the Organising Committee] were sorry."

Former Representative Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican and a Christian, backed Rapko's Dionysus theory, resharing her post on X, and writing a second post, "The whole blue man as a Greek god thing, in hindsight, is a major tell that this wasn't the last supper."

Other pastors, including Zach Lambert, have pointed out the anti-LGBTQ sentiment fueling some Christians' outrage over the alleged "Last Supper" depiction.

In an X post on Saturday, he wrote, "If you are a Christian claiming 'persecution' because French drag queens acted out The Last Supper, but you are simultaneously cheering on the 527 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in legislatures across the US, then you are actually the persecutor." He referenced the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) bill tracker.

Update 7/28/24 at 3:38 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with Rapko's comment.

Update 7/28/24 at 1:42 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional context.