Paris Olympics organisers apologised on Sunday after a performance at the opening ceremony imitated Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper".
The performance featured LGBT icon Barbara Buch surrounded by transgender performers and dancers, in a reenactment of a painting depicting the moment Jesus Christ announced that one of the apostles would betray him.
Religious conservatives around the world condemned the sequence, with the French Catholic bishops’ conference condemning “scenes of mockery” that they said mocked Christianity, a sentiment echoed by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
Egypt’s Anglican community also expressed “deep regret” on Sunday, saying the ceremony could cause the IOC to lose its “distinctive sporting identity and humanitarian mission.”
The ceremony’s artistic director, Thomas Joly, said the aim was to celebrate diversity and celebrate French feasts and cuisine.
Paris Olympics spokeswoman Anne Descamps was asked about the protest during an IOC news conference on Sunday.
“There was clearly no intention at all to show disrespect to any religious group. On the contrary, I think (with) Thomas Joly we actually tried to celebrate community tolerance,” she said. “Given the results of the surveys we shared, we believe that this ambition has been achieved. If people felt any offence, we are of course truly sorry.”
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