The Olympic flag flutters during a practice session at Eiffel Tower Stadium in Paris on July 24, 2024, ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. (Credit: ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)
CNA Newsroom, Aug 2, 2024 / 09:00 am (CNA).
In a strongly worded open letter, Catholic cardinals and bishops from around the world are calling on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to “repudiate” and “apologize” for the “intentionally hateful mockery” of the Last Supper during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
In addition, “the undersigned commit to a day of prayer and fasting in reparation for this blasphemy.”
The letter was signed by three cardinals and 24 bishops as of Friday, Aug. 2, and states: “With shock, the world watched as the Summer Olympics in Paris opened with a grotesque and blasphemous depiction of the Last Supper.”
“It is hard to understand how the faith of over 2 billion people can be so casually and intentionally blasphemed,” say the prelates, who include Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke; Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier, OFM; and Cardinal Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel, CM.
While 15 of the 24 signatories are from the U.S. — including Archbishop Samuel Aquila of Denver; Archbishop Emeritus Charles Chaput, OFM Cap, of Philadelphia; Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco; Archbishop James Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska; and Archbishop Andrew Cozzens of Crookston, Minnesota — bishops from Argentina, France, Ghana, Lebanon, Nigeria, Peru, and the United Kingdom also signed the letter.
The prelates demand that the IOC “repudiate this blasphemous action and apologize to all people of faith,” warning that the display “threatens people of all faiths and of none, as it opens the door to those with power doing whatever they wish to people they do not like.”
The letter’s organizers provided an email address — episcopimundi2022@gmail.com — that other bishops can use to add their names to the document.
‘Condescending’ response
The Olympic opening ceremony in the French capital on July 26 triggered global outrage over scenes that included cavorting drag queens in what many decried as a mockery of the Last Supper.
The controversy escalated to such an extent that one U.S. mobile phone and internet company decided to pull its advertising from the Olympics.
In a first response to the scandal one day after the ceremony, the artistic director responsible for the ceremony, Thomas Jolly, told local broadcaster BFMTV the scene was inspired by a pagan feast, not the Last Supper.
“You will never find in my work a desire to denigrate anyone or anything,” Jolly said, according to Reuters.
One day later, Olympics spokesperson Anne Descamps said, according to Reuters: “Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. [The opening ceremony] tried to celebrate community tolerance. … If people have taken any offense we are really sorry.”
At least one prominent Catholic leader rejected this response — as have, in no uncertain terms, others.
Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, called the Parisian reaction “a masterpiece of woke duplicity” in a video posted to social media platform X on July 29.
“Christians were offended because it was offensive and it was intended to be offensive,” Barron said. “So please don’t patronize us with this condescending remark about, well, if you had any, you know, bad feelings, we’re awfully sorry about that.”
”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, adding: “I don’t think Christians should be mollified; I think we should keep raising our voices.”
Day of prayer and fasting
In addition to their commitment to a day of prayer and fasting, the letter’s signatories “will offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in which Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection are made present to us by our obedience to the commandment he gave at the Last Supper: ‘Do this in memory of me.’”
“We pray that those who seek to harm others with their power, and those harmed, will imitate his self-sacrificial love so that peace, decency, and mutual respect may be restored in the world,” the letter states.
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Sister Magdalene Schafer speaks with CNA about her past experiences with the Labouré Society and the spiritual fruits that she has reaped from the organization. / Credit: Gigi Duncan/CNA/Zoom screenshot
Thousands of pro-life advocates gathered outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 1, 2021, in conjunction with oral arguments in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization abortion case. / Katie Yoder/CNA
Washington D.C., Dec 2, 2021 / 08:04 am (CNA).
Anna Del Duca and daughter, Frances, woke up at 5 a.m. Wednesday morning to brave the 30-degree weather outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. They arrived hours before oral arguments began in the highly-anticipated abortion case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
The case, which involves a Mississippi law restricting most abortions after 15 weeks, challenges two landmark decisions: Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide, and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which upheld Roe in 1992.
“We’re looking forward to the end of Roe versus Wade in our country,” Anna, who drove from Pittsburgh Tuesday night, told CNA. In her hands, she held a sign reading, “I regret my abortion.”
Anna Del Duca (right) and her daughter, Frances, traveled from Pittsburgh to attend a pro-life rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 1, 2021, in conjunction with oral arguments for the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization abortion case. Katie Yoder/CNA
“I would like to use my testimony to be a blessing to others,” she said, so that “others will choose life or those who have regretted abortion or had an abortion would turn to Jesus.”
Anna remembered having an abortion when she was just 19. Today, she and her daughter run a group called Restorers of Streets to Dwell In Pittsburgh that offers help to women seeking healing after abortion.
Anna and Frances were among thousands of Americans who rallied outside the Supreme Court before, during, and after the oral arguments. To accommodate them, law enforcement closed the street in front of the court. Capitol police also placed fencing in the space in front of the building in an attempt to physically separate rallies held by abortion supporters and pro-lifers.
At 21-weeks pregnant, pro-life speaker Alison Centofante emceed the pro-life rally, called, “Empower Women Promote Life.” The event featured a slew of pro-life women of diverse backgrounds and numerous politicians.
“It’s funny, there were so many diverse speakers today that the only unifying thread was that we want to protect preborn children,” Centofante told CNA. They included Democrats, Republicans, Christians, Catholics, agnostics, atheists, women who chose life, and women who regretted their abortions, she said.
She recognized women there, including Aimee Murphy, as people who are not the typical “cookie cutter pro-lifer.”
Aimee Murphy, 32, founder of pro-life group Rehumanize International, arrived at the Supreme Court around 6:30 a.m. She drove from Pittsburgh the night before. Her sign read, “Queer Latina feminist rape survivor against abortion.”“At Rehumanize International, we oppose all forms of aggressive violence,” she told CNA. “Even as a secular and non-partisan organization, we understand that abortion is the most urgent cause that we must stand against in our modern day and age because it takes on average over 800,000 lives a year.”
She also had a personal reason for attending.
“When I was 16 years old, I was raped and my rapist then threatened to kill me if I didn’t have an abortion,” she revealed.
“It was when he threatened me that I felt finally a solidarity with unborn children and I understood then that, yeah, the science told me that a life begins at conception, but that I couldn’t be like my abusive ex and pass on the violence and oppression of abortion to another human being — that all that I would be doing in having an abortion would be telling my child, ‘You are an inconvenience to me and to my future, therefore I’m going to kill you,’ which is exactly the same thing that my rapist was telling me when he threatened to kill me.”
On the other side of the police fence, the Center for Reproductive Rights and the National Abortion Access Coalition and NARAL Pro-Choice America participated in another rally. Yellow balloons printed with the words “BANS OFF OUR BODIES” escaped into the sky. Several pro-choice demonstrators declined to speak with CNA.
Voices clashed in the air as people, the majority of whom were women, spoke into their respective microphones at both rallies. Abortion supporters stressed bodily autonomy, while pro-lifers recognized the humanity of the unborn child. Chants arose from both sides at different points, from “Whose choice? My choice!” to “Hey hey, ho ho, Roe v. Wade has got to go!”
At 10 a.m., the pro-life crowd sudddenly went silent as the oral arguments began and the rally paused temporarily as live audio played through speakers.
Hundreds of students from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, traveled to Washington, D.C. for a pro-life rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 1, 2021, in conjunction with oral arguments in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization abortion case. Katie Yoder/CNA
During the oral arguments, students from Liberty University knelt in prayer. One student estimated that more than a thousand students from the school made the more than 3-hour trip from Lynchburg, Virginia.
“Talking about our faith is one thing, but actually acting upon it is another,” he said. “We have to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. So to me this is part of doing that.”
Sister Mary Karen, who has been with the Sisters of Life for 21 years, also stressed the importance of prayer. She drove from New York earlier that morning because, she said, she felt drawn to attend. She came, she said, to pray for the country and promote the dignity of a human person.
“Our culture is post-abortive,” she explained. “So many people have suffered and the loss of human life is so detrimental, just not knowing that we have value and are precious and sacred.”
Theresa Bonopartis, of Harrison, New York, was among the pro-life demonstrators outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 1, 2021. She runs a nonprofit group called Entering Canaan that ministers to women and others wounded by abortion. Katie Yoder/CNA
She stood next to Theresa Bonopartis, who traveled from Harrison, New York, and ministers to women and others wounded by abortion.
“I’ve been fighting abortion for 30 years at least,” she told CNA.
Her ministry, called Entering Canaan, began with the Sisters of Life and is observing its 25th anniversary this year. It provides retreats for women, men, and even siblings of aborted babies.
Abortion is personal for Bonopartis, who said she had a coerced abortion when she was just 17.
“I was kicked out of the house by my father and then coerced into getting an abortion,” she said. “Pretty much cut me off from everything, and that’s something people don’t really talk about … they make it try to seem like it’s a woman’s right, it’s a free choice. It’s all this other stuff, but many women are coerced in one way or another.”
She guessed that she was 14 or 15 weeks pregnant at the time.
“I saw my son. I had a saline abortion, so I saw him, which I always considered a blessing because it never allowed me to deny what abortion was,” she said. Afterward, she said she struggled with self-esteem issues, hating herself, guilt, shame, and more. Then, she found healing.
“I know what that pain is like, I know what that experience is like, and you know that you can get past it,” she said. “You just want to be able to give that message to other people, that they’re able to heal.”
Residents of Mississippi, where the Dobbs v. Jackson case originated, also attended.
Marion, who declined to provide her last name, drove from Mississippi to stand outside the Supreme Court. She said she was in her early 20s when Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973.
“At the time, of course, I could care less,” she said. Since then, she had a change of heart.
“We were the generation that allowed it,” she said, “and so we are the generation who will help close that door and reverse it.”
Marion, who declined to provide her last name, was among those who attended a pro-life rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 1, 2021, from Mississippi, where the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization abortion case originated. Katie Yoder/CNA
The crowd at the pro-life rally included all ages, from those who had witnessed Roe to bundled-up babies, children running around, and college students holding up homemade signs.
One group of young friends traveled across the country to stand outside the Supreme Court. They cited their faith and family as reasons for attending.
Mathilde Steenepoorte, 19, from Green Bay, Wisconsin, identified herself as “very pro-life” in large part because of her younger brother with Down syndrome. She said she was saddened by the abortion rates of unborn babies dianosed with Down syndrome.
Juanito Estevez, from Freeport, a village on Long Island, New York, at a pro-life rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 1, 2021. Katie Yoder/CNA
Juanito Estevez, from Freeport, a village on Long Island, New York, arrived Tuesday. He woke up at 6 a.m. to arrive at the Supreme Court with a crucifix in hand.
“I believe that God is the giver of life and we don’t have the right [to decide] whether a baby should live or die,” he said.
He also said that he believed women have been lied to about abortion.
“We say it’s their right, and there’s a choice,” he said. When girls tell him “I have the right,” his response, he said, is to ask back, “You have the right for what?”
Mallory Finch, from Charlotte, North Carolina, was among the pro-life demonstrators outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 1, 2021.
Mallory Finch, from Charlotte, North Carolina, also woke up early but emphasized “it was worth it.” A pro-life podcast host, she called abortion a “human-rights issue.”
“I hope that it overturns Roe,” she said of the case, “but that doesn’t mean that our job as pro-lifers is done. It makes this, really, just the beginning.”
Hagatna, Guam, Mar 26, 2019 / 02:38 pm (CNA).- The head of the Catholic Church in Guam has expressed strong opposition to a bill that would legalize recreational marijuana, which this week has been a center of debate by the country’s legislators.
In a March 25 statement, the Coadjutor Archbishop of Agaña, Michael Byrnes, said the Guam Cannabis Industry Act of 2019 will harm the general welfare of the island.
“Certainly it will adversely affect the common good of our families, marriages, youth, government organizations, businesses and the very identity of our island as a family-oriented community,” said Byrnes.
Bill 32 was introduced by Sen. Clynt Ridgell in January 2019. The bill is currently being debated by lawmakers following a public hearing on the issue.
Byrnes said many of Guam’s people already struggle with substance abuse, and a greater promotion of marijuana will not alleviate the situation.
“While the Catholic Church permits the use of some drugs for therapeutic purposes such as relieving pain and nausea, it is clear about the evils of drug abuse,” he said, warning that many people who use marijuana are seeking an escape from the burdens and responsibilities of life.
Calling the proposal a “false solution” that will only lead to more problems, the archbishop stressed that what Guam needs is for people to be more present and attentive in their various walks of life – as students, employees, family members, and youth.
“Rather than escape, we need engagement,” he said.
He cited passages in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that emphasize the virtue of temperance and instruct that the use of drugs, “except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offense.”
While the bill would allow for the legal use of marijuana only by those age 21 and over, Byrnes said underage users will be affected as well.
He pointed to a survey by the CDC’s High School Youth Risk Behavior, which reported that 49 percent of high school students in Guam have used marijuana, 10 percent more than students on the U.S. mainland.
Byrnes said other studies have shown that long-term abuse of marijuana, when initiated at a young age, is especially detrimental to brain development and can also become addictive.
“We need our youth and our young adults – people of all ages – to be fully engaged in the various activities of their lives and our communities,” he said.
The legalization of marijuana has seen engagement from both sides of the issue. A petition at Change.org has received more than 800 signatures in opposition to the bill. However, a separate petition on the website has received more than 3,000 signatures in favor of it.
Archbishop Byrnes said the bill’s passing will “only harm the common good of our island, not enhance it.”
“As a community already riddled with a drug problem of epidemic magnitude, we need to focus on reducing the presence of illegal drugs and substances that intoxicate our people, not aid their proliferation.”
The adage is “don’t ask for permission, but later for forgiveness.” But, an apology only, or what else?
Besides, the IOC might harmonize polarities—a recent theological trick—by suggesting that the float was “non-liturgical, spontaneous, and therefore not scandalizing” (why not bless the float, two-by-two, under Fiducia Supplicans?). The sin is not only anti-religious blasphemy, but also an underlying STUPIDITY. Or, maybe the French novelist Georges Bernanos is even more perceptive:
“The modern world will shortly no longer possess sufficient spiritual reserves to commit genuine evil. Already . . . we can witness a lethal slackening of men’s conscience that is attacking not only their moral life, but also their very heart and mind, altering and decomposing even their imagination . . . The menacing crisis is one of INFANTILISM.” (Interview with Samedi-Soir, Nov. 8, 1947, cited in Hans Urs von Balthasar, “Bernanos: An Ecclesial Existence” [San Francisco: Ignatius, 1996], 457, caps added).
So, in addition to a minimal apology, how about restitution from the IOC for violating its own charter? Maybe an IOC resignation, plus housecleaning of float organizer Thomas Joystick or whatever.
It does not matter so much that we mere humans are offended but that God was mocked. Those who committed these blasphemies should be called to repent, lest they be cast into Hell. The IOC sins grievously against the first of the commandments, and they will be held to account before God, if not by men. Now I applaud the small cadre of bishops for their letter, but it could have been stronger. And yet, the letter is much louder than our pontiff’s voice, which remains silent in the face of this international blasphemy. Perhaps he is ambivalent and is still in a hangover from his Pachamama blessing, or perhaps he is embarrassed, as he had just endorsed the Olympics for its peacefulness. Perhaps there are prelates inside the Vatican whispering in our pontiff’s ear, who, like Sr Jeanne Grammick, are looking for an angle of endorsement “I applaud the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence for their financial assistance to those in need. I support them because of all their good works.” That quote is from last year. Maybe someone is waiting for the IOC to make a donation (of sorts) to the Vatican, and then all will be OK.
“It is hard to understand how the faith of 2 billion people can be so casually and intentionally blasphemed” say the prelates.
WRONG – It is NOT hard AT ALL to understand. Can we at least agree on that much?
Thomas Jolly and Anne Descamps – you could at least have the decency to admit what is obvious to anyone with half a brain – you INTENTIONALLY meant to offend billions of Christians.
For what seems to be the umpteenth time – has the pope had anything to say about this? 8 days after the fact that doesn’t seem like too much to ask for.
How telling that the saying of the centuries old Latin Mass is apparently more offensive to Bergoglio than this evil mockery of Christ in His holiest of Sacraments.
Acceptable to Bergoglio:
Abominable Paris blasphemy.
Rupnik abuses, both sexual and artistic.
Martin and others encouraging sinful acts.
Not acceptable to Bergoglio:
The celebration of traditional form of the Mass in which Christ Jesus Himself is praised and adored.
I wonder. If this same group had submitted an application to mockingly act out verses from the Koran, would it have been approved? Of course, we know the answer. Only Christians are fair game.
Athanasius, may I suggest that Christians are fair game for freemasons in France ever since the genocidal Freemasonic coupe d’état described as a “Revolution” sought to eliminate them?
Even if a raunchy parody of Muslims had been approved it would probably be the last time. There would be consequences far greater than polite letters from clergy.
The Good News amidst the bad – that many would have obtained the Portiuncula indulgence today – https://spiritdaily.org/blog/news/how-can-you-get-the-portiuncula-indulgence-tomorrow
France and Francis and Francis … Holy Father visiting the amusement park to remind the persons there that they too are capable of being set free from undue attachments to creatures which is the temporal punishment of sins that are removed through indulgences , to strengthen our ‘bones ‘ of holy relationship with the Famly of heaven ..The bears who came to tear up the children who mocked Prophet Elisha – our times too , millions have been torn up by the bears of scorn and mockery towards God and the Sacraments …the call to bring them all again and again unto The Mother – to her many manifestations of the role given her in France alone – The Immaculate Conception – to be set free from the carnal flood waters of our times …manifested by those who are drowning in same… Lord never tires of throwing the ring of His holiness and Love unto us ..and tell us to be ever ready to be struck on the other cheek for doing same ..to keep at it without expecting honor from those who indirectly are demanding that they be seen as family in excess of tolerance without any demands of love as responsibility …
The Winning Family of Heaven – Sts Francis , Holy Fmly and all – flood waters of that Love to wash out the dragon waters … in the hidden springs of holiness such as at Lourdes and The Immaculate Conception … Glory be!
I will leave the link to the video of an Eastern Orthodox priest (based in California) speaking about the blasphemy and those who designed it. He also speaks about so-called “apology” (I agree with him and this is why I do not care about “apologies” from those people) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEMx33nsIyA
I don’t think there will be an apology.
In any case, I think an apology won’t do.
Heads need to roll.
The Eastern Orthodox priest has it right.
I’ll be pleasantly surprised if it happens.
No desire to denigrate? No intention of disrespect? It’s unfathomable that anyone with a functioning brain can be that clueless.
Oh, and btw, if there was an outraged response from James Martin, SJ, the go-to guy for all matters rainbow, I must have missed it. I’m serious when I say, please, someone, let me know if he commented, and if so, how. Apparently, a response from the current pontiff is still forthcoming.
Or, maybe NOT a direct response from Pope Francis or from any pope? Would such an action be twisted to confer a kind of equivalence and legitimacy to a tribe of lunatics floating through Paris or wherever?
Another proposition is that the Holy Spirit already works in subtle but concrete ways…
The demand for an apology comes from bishops from around the world (just as the Olympic Games include nations from around the world). And the demand was possibly fostered by Cardinal Burke who, by incoherent circumstance, no longer lives in the Vatican. And, therefore, now is more free to say what must be said without engaging in an historic pissing contest between the perennial Catholic Church and moral mutants feeding on what’s left of the West.
The brief letter also evangelizes clearly and concisely, in only a few sentences, rather than in thousands of unread words on Vatican letterhead. The only fly in the ointment (fly, so to speak), is the earlier Vatican blessing of irregular “couples” under Fiducia Supplicans… butt surely pairs of drag queens are not to be excluded.
Better that oblique harmonizers of “polarities” stay out of this.
I would like to know if there was a pre parade briefing for the press as to the theme and nature of the depiction. Also what were the actors told by the artistic creators as to what they were portraying? If they say it was a pagan scene why the discrepancy? Why the misunderstanding? It seems that “there is something rotten in the state of Denmark “
I think that an apology will not be issued. The designers of the Opening Ceremonies will continue to insist that their display had nothing to do with Christianity.
So instead of continuing to demand an apology, I think we should drop it and concentrate on getting devout Catholic and Protestant Christians involved with planning/designing the 2028 Olympics which will be held in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. I know that there are plenty of Catholics who have experience and expertise in designing/managing large events–put out the call for them to get involved with the 2028 Olympics, especially those who live in/near L.A. We need to act rather than react, volunteer rather than boycott, and pray rather than fuss. I fear that if Christians choose to avoid any involvement with the Olympics, as well as other secular “big events” (e.g., anything in entertainment, or sports), and instead, wait til the offence is committed before we cry out “Foul!”, we will continue to see even greater offences against what and WHO we know to be sacred. The reason there are so many beautiful works of architecture and art in Europe is that Catholics designed and built them!
If they truly believe that it had nothing to do with Christianity make them prove it? What were the actors told that they were representing? Was the press briefed beforehand as to what it was all about? What scenario did the artistic creators present to those who made decisions about the presentation? Things were known, decisions were made and the people involved should be held accountable.
I see that the Biden-Harris administration got the message re their odious deal with the 9/11 organizer.
Didn’t pussyfoot around pleading for/demanding an apology either.
An apology will not happen, primarily because they operate with no moral framework and no religious sensibility of right and wrong. So, we have the defaming of the Last Supper. Then we have the attack on normal sexuality by their allowing men to pummel women in physical contact sports, which could easily end in injury or death to the genuinely female opponent.But of course death appears to be preferable to these folks, compared to telling a small and clearly mentally ill minority that not only is allowing them to compete physically dangerous for their opponent, but also gives them a grossly unfair advantage to win. How much of a “win” is it, when you win by cheating? In my opinion, none. Its clear we are on a path to eliminating womens sports. Trying to continue in this way will inevitably end in tragedy. Sadly I do believe that for their own safety, women athletes should refuse to compete when paired with a male opponent. Finally, all people should be making their voices on this issue heard loud and clear to your political representatives. The democrats have been pandering to this abnormality and trying to normalize it for years. Its disgusting. Good old Joe Biden has just pushed through the changes in title 9 allowing bio men to change in womens locker rooms and play on womens teams at our public schools. To the parents of young women: no scholarship is worth the potential danger and sexual harassment of your daughter in this situation. Remember which party has been pushing this through when next you vote.Only the blind cant see this is a societal turning point.
Bravo.
Response (or lack thereof) should be interesting.
The adage is “don’t ask for permission, but later for forgiveness.” But, an apology only, or what else?
Besides, the IOC might harmonize polarities—a recent theological trick—by suggesting that the float was “non-liturgical, spontaneous, and therefore not scandalizing” (why not bless the float, two-by-two, under Fiducia Supplicans?). The sin is not only anti-religious blasphemy, but also an underlying STUPIDITY. Or, maybe the French novelist Georges Bernanos is even more perceptive:
“The modern world will shortly no longer possess sufficient spiritual reserves to commit genuine evil. Already . . . we can witness a lethal slackening of men’s conscience that is attacking not only their moral life, but also their very heart and mind, altering and decomposing even their imagination . . . The menacing crisis is one of INFANTILISM.” (Interview with Samedi-Soir, Nov. 8, 1947, cited in Hans Urs von Balthasar, “Bernanos: An Ecclesial Existence” [San Francisco: Ignatius, 1996], 457, caps added).
For an historical take on blasphemy/stupidity/infantilism on the Seine, yours truly humbly suggests my own letter to the IOC (July 30), found in the thread to an earlier CWR article: https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2024/07/27/how-the-olympic-committee-violated-its-own-charter/ From a back-bleachers layman! Very synodal, that.
So, in addition to a minimal apology, how about restitution from the IOC for violating its own charter? Maybe an IOC resignation, plus housecleaning of float organizer Thomas Joystick or whatever.
It does not matter so much that we mere humans are offended but that God was mocked. Those who committed these blasphemies should be called to repent, lest they be cast into Hell. The IOC sins grievously against the first of the commandments, and they will be held to account before God, if not by men. Now I applaud the small cadre of bishops for their letter, but it could have been stronger. And yet, the letter is much louder than our pontiff’s voice, which remains silent in the face of this international blasphemy. Perhaps he is ambivalent and is still in a hangover from his Pachamama blessing, or perhaps he is embarrassed, as he had just endorsed the Olympics for its peacefulness. Perhaps there are prelates inside the Vatican whispering in our pontiff’s ear, who, like Sr Jeanne Grammick, are looking for an angle of endorsement “I applaud the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence for their financial assistance to those in need. I support them because of all their good works.” That quote is from last year. Maybe someone is waiting for the IOC to make a donation (of sorts) to the Vatican, and then all will be OK.
“It is hard to understand how the faith of 2 billion people can be so casually and intentionally blasphemed” say the prelates.
WRONG – It is NOT hard AT ALL to understand. Can we at least agree on that much?
Thomas Jolly and Anne Descamps – you could at least have the decency to admit what is obvious to anyone with half a brain – you INTENTIONALLY meant to offend billions of Christians.
For what seems to be the umpteenth time – has the pope had anything to say about this? 8 days after the fact that doesn’t seem like too much to ask for.
Or does it?
Addendum – Apology?
Don’t hold your breath.
How telling that the saying of the centuries old Latin Mass is apparently more offensive to Bergoglio than this evil mockery of Christ in His holiest of Sacraments.
Acceptable to Bergoglio:
Abominable Paris blasphemy.
Rupnik abuses, both sexual and artistic.
Martin and others encouraging sinful acts.
Not acceptable to Bergoglio:
The celebration of traditional form of the Mass in which Christ Jesus Himself is praised and adored.
What does that tell us?
I wonder. If this same group had submitted an application to mockingly act out verses from the Koran, would it have been approved? Of course, we know the answer. Only Christians are fair game.
Athanasius, may I suggest that Christians are fair game for freemasons in France ever since the genocidal Freemasonic coupe d’état described as a “Revolution” sought to eliminate them?
Even if a raunchy parody of Muslims had been approved it would probably be the last time. There would be consequences far greater than polite letters from clergy.
Exactly my thought. I can imagine a similarly extremely offensive “parody” and what the reactions would be ..
The Good News amidst the bad – that many would have obtained the Portiuncula indulgence today – https://spiritdaily.org/blog/news/how-can-you-get-the-portiuncula-indulgence-tomorrow
France and Francis and Francis … Holy Father visiting the amusement park to remind the persons there that they too are capable of being set free from undue attachments to creatures which is the temporal punishment of sins that are removed through indulgences , to strengthen our ‘bones ‘ of holy relationship with the Famly of heaven ..The bears who came to tear up the children who mocked Prophet Elisha – our times too , millions have been torn up by the bears of scorn and mockery towards God and the Sacraments …the call to bring them all again and again unto The Mother – to her many manifestations of the role given her in France alone – The Immaculate Conception – to be set free from the carnal flood waters of our times …manifested by those who are drowning in same… Lord never tires of throwing the ring of His holiness and Love unto us ..and tell us to be ever ready to be struck on the other cheek for doing same ..to keep at it without expecting honor from those who indirectly are demanding that they be seen as family in excess of tolerance without any demands of love as responsibility …
The Winning Family of Heaven – Sts Francis , Holy Fmly and all – flood waters of that Love to wash out the dragon waters … in the hidden springs of holiness such as at Lourdes and The Immaculate Conception … Glory be!
I will leave the link to the video of an Eastern Orthodox priest (based in California) speaking about the blasphemy and those who designed it. He also speaks about so-called “apology” (I agree with him and this is why I do not care about “apologies” from those people)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEMx33nsIyA
That they could only gather 27 out of thousands of bishops is itself a scandal.
I don’t think there will be an apology.
In any case, I think an apology won’t do.
Heads need to roll.
The Eastern Orthodox priest has it right.
I’ll be pleasantly surprised if it happens.
No desire to denigrate? No intention of disrespect? It’s unfathomable that anyone with a functioning brain can be that clueless.
Oh, and btw, if there was an outraged response from James Martin, SJ, the go-to guy for all matters rainbow, I must have missed it. I’m serious when I say, please, someone, let me know if he commented, and if so, how. Apparently, a response from the current pontiff is still forthcoming.
Or, maybe NOT a direct response from Pope Francis or from any pope? Would such an action be twisted to confer a kind of equivalence and legitimacy to a tribe of lunatics floating through Paris or wherever?
Another proposition is that the Holy Spirit already works in subtle but concrete ways…
The demand for an apology comes from bishops from around the world (just as the Olympic Games include nations from around the world). And the demand was possibly fostered by Cardinal Burke who, by incoherent circumstance, no longer lives in the Vatican. And, therefore, now is more free to say what must be said without engaging in an historic pissing contest between the perennial Catholic Church and moral mutants feeding on what’s left of the West.
The brief letter also evangelizes clearly and concisely, in only a few sentences, rather than in thousands of unread words on Vatican letterhead. The only fly in the ointment (fly, so to speak), is the earlier Vatican blessing of irregular “couples” under Fiducia Supplicans… butt surely pairs of drag queens are not to be excluded.
Better that oblique harmonizers of “polarities” stay out of this.
I would like to know if there was a pre parade briefing for the press as to the theme and nature of the depiction. Also what were the actors told by the artistic creators as to what they were portraying? If they say it was a pagan scene why the discrepancy? Why the misunderstanding? It seems that “there is something rotten in the state of Denmark “
I think that an apology will not be issued. The designers of the Opening Ceremonies will continue to insist that their display had nothing to do with Christianity.
So instead of continuing to demand an apology, I think we should drop it and concentrate on getting devout Catholic and Protestant Christians involved with planning/designing the 2028 Olympics which will be held in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. I know that there are plenty of Catholics who have experience and expertise in designing/managing large events–put out the call for them to get involved with the 2028 Olympics, especially those who live in/near L.A. We need to act rather than react, volunteer rather than boycott, and pray rather than fuss. I fear that if Christians choose to avoid any involvement with the Olympics, as well as other secular “big events” (e.g., anything in entertainment, or sports), and instead, wait til the offence is committed before we cry out “Foul!”, we will continue to see even greater offences against what and WHO we know to be sacred. The reason there are so many beautiful works of architecture and art in Europe is that Catholics designed and built them!
If they truly believe that it had nothing to do with Christianity make them prove it? What were the actors told that they were representing? Was the press briefed beforehand as to what it was all about? What scenario did the artistic creators present to those who made decisions about the presentation? Things were known, decisions were made and the people involved should be held accountable.
If you had to debate this issue from their point of view, what would you say?
I see that the Biden-Harris administration got the message re their odious deal with the 9/11 organizer.
Didn’t pussyfoot around pleading for/demanding an apology either.
An apology will not happen, primarily because they operate with no moral framework and no religious sensibility of right and wrong. So, we have the defaming of the Last Supper. Then we have the attack on normal sexuality by their allowing men to pummel women in physical contact sports, which could easily end in injury or death to the genuinely female opponent.But of course death appears to be preferable to these folks, compared to telling a small and clearly mentally ill minority that not only is allowing them to compete physically dangerous for their opponent, but also gives them a grossly unfair advantage to win. How much of a “win” is it, when you win by cheating? In my opinion, none. Its clear we are on a path to eliminating womens sports. Trying to continue in this way will inevitably end in tragedy. Sadly I do believe that for their own safety, women athletes should refuse to compete when paired with a male opponent. Finally, all people should be making their voices on this issue heard loud and clear to your political representatives. The democrats have been pandering to this abnormality and trying to normalize it for years. Its disgusting. Good old Joe Biden has just pushed through the changes in title 9 allowing bio men to change in womens locker rooms and play on womens teams at our public schools. To the parents of young women: no scholarship is worth the potential danger and sexual harassment of your daughter in this situation. Remember which party has been pushing this through when next you vote.Only the blind cant see this is a societal turning point.