"A big pagan celebration": Olympics critiqued for "satanism" in its homage to Greek mythology

The 2024 Summer Olympics has only just begun, but not without controversy.

The long-awaited summer games launched on Friday with an extravagant opening ceremony on the Seine River featuring Paris's most avante-garde fashion, art, politics and music. However, the lavish opening ceremony that even featured Celine Dion's comeback has been met with conservative and right-wing pushback and criticism in the United States and across Europe.

Over the weekend, figures like House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Elon Musk took to social media to air out their grievances with the claims of anti-Christian sentiment from the Olympics. Conservative Hollywood figures like Candace Cameron Bure and Rob Schneider also joined in on the complaints against the Olympics for one particular vignette in the sprawling four-hour spectacle that traversed Paris, from the sewers to the Louvre.

In a reel on Instagram Bure stated, “I love the Olympic Games . . .So to watch such an incredible and wonderful event that’s gonna take place over the next two weeks and see the opening ceremonies completely blaspheme and mock the Christian faith with their interpretation of the Last Supper was disgusting . . . It made me so sad."

Schneider also shared on social media, "I cannot watch an Olympics that disrespects Christianity and openly celebrates Satan.”

Even the Catholic Church in France slammed that particular part of the opening ceremony as a “derision and mockery of Christianity.”

So why is the religious right up in arms? Salon breaks it down:

What is the vignette in question?

The controversial tableau features numerous drag performers, dancers and actors lined up against a long table. At some point, the table turns into a catwalk for models to show off gender-fluid fashions. Later, French actor and singer Philippe Katerine – painted entirely blue and wearing nothing but flowers – descends onto the table from a giant food platter. The silver dome is raised to display him in all his glory as the Greek god Dionysus, reclining among fruits and flowers.

The official Olympic X account tweeted a photo of Katerine, saying, "The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings."

However, the campy French performance paying homage to Greek mythology and the Olympics' Greek origins was met with swift pushback for those who instead viewed it as a modern-day reenactment of Leonardo da Vinci’s "The Last Supper." The painting itself refers to the final meal that Jesus Christ and his 12 apostles had before he was crucified, and is popular in Christian art.

Critics from the Catholic Church in France to American politicians have called the tableau "satanic," and according to Speaker Johnson, the performance was a "mockery of the Last Supper" and an "insult to Christian people around the world."

This wasn't the only vignette that was met with criticism. Another part of the ceremony featured a headless Marie Antoinette figure at the Conciergerie – the prison where she was held before being beheaded during the French Revolution – and was also called "satanic" by critics online.

How did the Olympics respond?

Soon after the accusations of religious denigration, in a statement, the opening ceremony producers said, “For the ‘Festivities’ segment, Thomas Jolly took inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting to create the setting. Clearly, there was never an intention to show disrespect towards any religious group or belief … [Jolly] is not the first artist to make a reference to what is a world-famous work of art. From Andy Warhol to ‘The Simpsons,’ many have done it before him.”

However, in a conflicting statement, Jolly told French broadcaster BFMTV on Sunday “That wasn’t my inspiration and that should be pretty obvious.

"There’s Dionysus arriving on a table. Why is he there? First and foremost because he is the god of celebration in Greek mythology, and the tableau is called 'Festivity,'" Jolly elaborated. "He is also the god of wine, which is also one of the jewels of France, and the father of Séquana, the goddess of the river Seine. The idea was to depict a big pagan celebration, linked to the gods of Olympus, and thus the Olympics."

The International Olympic Committee also took to social media to address the controversy.

"In the daily press briefing, the Organising Committee said that there was never any intention to show disrespect towards any religious group or belief," the statement said.

The IOC continued, "They reiterated that their intention with the Opening Ceremony was always to celebrate community and tolerance. The Organising Committee also said that if anyone was offended by certain scenes, this was completely unintentional and they were sorry."

The performers respond to the backlash

Katerine, who performed as the Greek god, Dionysus, was proud of the performance. He said, "It's my culture. We’re full of different people and everyone lives their own way and, above all, has the right to do so. I loved doing it.”

Barbara Butch, one of the drag queens at the center of the visual, who can be spotted wearing a headpiece, issued a statement condemning the vitriolic response directed towards her for the performance.

“Since the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, artist, DJ, and activist Barbara Butch has been the target of an extremely violent campaign of cyber-harassment and defamation,” a statement from her attorney said. “She has been threatened with death, torture, and rape, and has also been the target of numerous antisemitic, homophobic, sexist, and grossophobic insults. Barbara Butch condemns this vile hatred directed at her, what she represents, and what she stands for.”

The statement concluded, “She is today filing several complaints against these acts, whether committed by French nationals or foreigners, and intends to prosecute anyone who tries to intimidate her in the future.”