By Dr. Dencio S. Acop
People all around the world were excited to witness the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. During the ceremonies however, many were shocked to see a parody of the Last Supper which made a mockery of Jesus Christ’s final meal with his disciples before he was arrested, tortured, and put to death. Attendees to the event including world leaders and viewers all over the world just couldn’t believe their eyes. Most people believe that an important world event as the Olympics Opening would be decent and appealing to the sensibilities of a global audience. Of the 8 billion people in the world today, 30.7% are Christians. They felt offended. In fact, not only Christians were offended. Even followers of other faiths like Islam (24.9%) do not appreciate drag queens and transgenders making a mockery of religion. Following great public indignation and withdrawal of sponsoring support as fallout from the unfortunate event, organizers of the ongoing Olympics apologized. However, the mastermind of the opening ceremony was unapologetic claiming the act to be just a depiction of the Bacchanalian feast. In interviews and press conferences before the opening festivities, gay artistic director Thomas Jolly ‘discussed the representation of diversity and religion in Friday’s show’. While Jolly’s confessed aim at secular ‘inclusion’ is laudable, the drag show segment parodying a pioneering sacrament by Christ sacred to Christianity effected a non-secular ‘exclusion’ of God profoundly offensive to Christians. As one follower observed: ‘The Last Supper was lumped in the same category of debauchery as the mythological feast of Bacchanalia’.
The world Olympics is a unifying event. It is meant to achieve unity amidst diversity in a world divided by wars, hatred of every kind, lies, deceit, and selfish dominance. Instead of settling disputes through wars, the Olympics is supposed to gather nations together in a covenant of peace through sports. Unlike the gladiatorial combats of old, the contests are meant to instill friendly competition leading to peaceful coexistence. They have a glorious past institutionalized in traditions of honor and virtue. The games were not known for their unjust decisions – only fair play and honest dealing. The cyclical competitions fostered lasting camaraderie among participating athletes and officials. They went a long way towards developing world peace that sustained the community of nations. The world is partly still around because of these Olympic games. Efforts to pioneer lasting entertainment in the affairs of man ought to be exercised with utmost caution and discretion. They may not even belong to this arena if the resulting effect is division rather than unity.
The goal of inclusion was a stated intent in the artistic director’s justification for the controversial scene. But there are two distinct approaches to this end. One is secular. The other is non-secular. Unless one viewpoint becomes open to the other, the two cannot mix. This article does not have the space to detail their arguments. It can only point in the direction of so many excellent discourses that are published for all to discover in their own lifetimes. It seems almost impossible to discuss God to unbelievers – even by a believer. Christianity, especially Catholic Christianity, has always been mindful of people’s sensibilities to zealously share the Good News. Perhaps, this is because Catholicism is already institutionalized in the vast and far reaches of the world following centuries of missionary work. There is the Holy Mass – the most sacred of the sacraments – the source and summit of the Christian life – prayed in every Catholic Church through Christendom. The Creed narrates what every baptized Christian believes. The Christian’s values are: ‘faith, justice, prudence, hope, temperance, fortitude, and charity (love)’. His gifts from the Holy Spirit are: ‘wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, speaking in tongues, and interpretation of tongues’. The sacraments that guide a Christian’s life from cradle to grave are: ‘baptism (cleansing the soul), eucharist (or communion), confirmation (an outpouring of the Holy Spirit), reconciliation (or confession of sins), marriage, holy orders, and anointing of the sick or dying’. Christianity is inclusive – as inclusive as anything can get. It welcomes all – especially sinners, which we all are. The only thing it does not welcome – is sin – because God detests it. Christians, therefore, strive through their earthly pilgrimages to become saints – so they can reunite with God and all their loved ones in the afterlife. How can they not feel offended by Bacchus and his cohorts parodying the Last Supper – him who is the god of disordered pleasure and ritual madness; whose wine, music, and ecstatic trance turn them into demons possessed and empowered by the satanic god himself?
