CNA Newsroom, 29 July, 2024 / 12:51 pm (ACI Africa).
Crookston Bishop Andrew Cozzens this weekend slammed what he described as the "heinous" mockery of the Christian faith displayed at the Summer Olympics in Paris on Friday, urging Catholics to respond to the spectacle with fasting and prayer.
The drag queen-led parody of the Last Supper featured during Friday’s opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics sparked a wave of incensed reactions and denunciations from Catholic leaders and others around the world.
The controversial scene, part of the 1.5 billion euros (about $1.62 billion) spectacle to kick off the Olympic Games, featured drag queens portraying the apostles and an overweight DJ as Jesus in what appeared to be a part of a fashion show apparently mocking Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting.
In a statement on Saturday, Cozzens—who also serves as the chairman of the board of the National Eucharistic Congress—said the performers "publicly defamed" the Last Supper with the "evil" display.
Cozzens noted that at the National Eucharistic Congress this month, the faithful gathered to "make reparation for our sins" and pray for "healing and forgiveness."