Cardinal Vincent Nichols, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, wrote to Monsignor Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, his counterpart at the Bishops’ Conference of France, to support the French bishops’ statement on the opening ceremony that whilst affirming the values and principles of the Games, expressed deep regret at the “scenes of mockery and derision of Christianity”.
In his letter, Cardinal Nichols noted that the aim of the Olympics was to bring people together in a common ideal, and that the ceremony’s depiction of da Vinci’s Last Supper had caused the opposite.
In response, Archbishop de Moulins-Beaufort, Archbishop of Reims, thanked the Cardinal for the support of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales and informed him that his letter had been forwarded to the Olympic Organising Committee.
On Saturday, 3 August, the Holy See expressed its sadness at this depiction during the opening ceremony and joined its voice to others in deploring the offence caused to many Christians and believers of other religions.
In a communiqué, the Holy See said that the performance should not have included “allusions that ridicule the religious convictions of many people.”
The communiqué concluded by stating:
“Freedom of expression, which of course is not in question, finds its limit in respect for others.”
[On 19 July] We were delighted to host the opening mass of the Olympic truce, in the presence of numerous religious, political and sporting figures.
We believe that the values and principles expressed and disseminated by sport and Olympism contribute to the need for unity and fraternity that our world so desperately needs, while respecting everyone’s convictions, around the sport that brings us together and promotes peace among nations and hearts.
[The] opening ceremony, organised by the French COJOP, offered the world a marvellous display of beauty and joy, rich in emotion and universally acclaimed.
This ceremony unfortunately included scenes of mockery and derision of Christianity, which we deeply regret. We would like to thank the members of other religious denominations who have expressed their solidarity with us.
We are thinking of all the Christians on every continent who have been hurt by the outrageousness and provocation of certain scenes. We want them to understand that the Olympic celebration goes far beyond the ideological biases of a few artists.
Sport is a wonderful human activity that deeply delights the hearts of athletes and spectators alike. Olympism is a movement at the service of this reality of human unity and fraternity. Now it’s time to take to the field, and may it bring truth, consolation and joy to all!
