Vatican saddened by Olympic ceremony skit resembling ’Last Supper’

By Joshua McElwee

VATICAN CITY, Aug 3 (Reuters) - The Vatican said on Saturday it had been saddened by a skit at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony appearing to parody Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" painting.

"The Holy See was saddened by certain scenes at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games and cannot but join the voices raised in recent days to deplore the offence done to many Christians and believers of other religions," it said in an unusual weekend evening press release issued in French.

The segment in the July 26 ceremony resembled the biblical scene of Jesus Christ and his apostles sharing a last meal before crucifixion, but featured drag queens, a transgender model and a naked singer as the Greek god of wine Dionysus.

Paris 2024 organizers apologised two days later, saying there was never an intention to disrespect any religious group.

The artistic director behind the scene said it had not been inspired by the Christian last supper, but rather a pagan feast linked to the historical Olympics.

"In a prestigious event where the whole world comes together around common values, there should not be allusions ridiculing the religious convictions of many people," the Vatican added.

"Freedom of expression, which is obviously not called into question, finds its limit in respect for others."

The Vatican did not say why it was issuing its statement more than a week after the opening ceremony.

Pope Francis had a phone call on Aug. 1 with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, at which Erdogan said the two leaders had discussed the Paris event.

Although the Vatican later confirmed to Reuters that the call took place, it would not comment on what the leaders discussed. (Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)