Minnesota Bishop Robert Barron has spoken out against the 2024 Paris Olympics organizers’ apology for a LGBTQ parody of the “Last Supper” during the opening ceremony, calling it “anything but an apology.” In a video posted to X, Barron criticized the organizers’ statement, saying it was “patronizing” and “condescending” towards Christians.
The bishop took issue with the apology’s claim that there was “never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group.” He argued that the use of drag queens and transgender performers in a parody of the “Last Supper” was a clear affront to Christians. “Give me a break,” Barron said. “So, we have a group of drag queens cavorting in a kind of sexually provocative way. Clearly, an imitation of da Vinci’s Last Supper.”
Barron also criticized the apology’s claim that the organizers were trying to “celebrate community tolerance.” He argued that this tolerance only extends to those who agree with their ideology, and that Christians are not included. “Everyone’s welcome, everyone’s tolerated. All this lovely diversity, until you get to anyone that disagrees with your ideology, like these 2.6 billion people,” Barron said.
The bishop also took issue with the apology’s tone, saying it was condescending and insincere. “If people have taken offense, we’re really, really sorry,” he quoted from the apology. “In other words, if you’re so simple-minded and stupid to have been offended by this wonderful expression of French culture, well, you know, we’re sorry about that.”
Barron argued that a real apology would acknowledge that the parody was a mistake and express genuine remorse. “A real apology would be something like, ‘This was a mistake, it should never have been done, and we’re sorry for it,'” he said. He encouraged Christians to continue speaking out against the parody and not to be mollified by the organizers’ apology.
