SW Valley Times

Pat Metzger, a Goodyear resident and member of the St. John Vianney parish, said that Christians are "fair game" in today’s world after the offensive display in the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics. 

“I was offended. Christians are 'fair game' in today’s world,” Metzger said. “I am very concerned about a Democratic president regardless of the person."

"We need to put the two platforms side by side to educate the average voter on the differences without all the fluff and platitudes," Metzger said. "On many issues, it is not possible for compromise. One will obliterate America as we know it. The other will strengthen the country we love. Voter ID is paramount for a legitimate election. Prayer is essential.”

On Friday, July 26th, 2024, the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics took place in Paris, displaying a mockery of Christianity. 

Drag queens strutted up and down a runway and performed exotic dances, at one point pausing and posing to imitate Leonardo DiVinci’s “Last Supper.” This mockery has sparked outrage from Catholics, non-Catholic Christians, and even non-Christians alike. 

The Olympics is meant to be an event that promotes unity even among differences, however, this performance only created division and ostracized the largest religion in the world.

“This is crazy. Opening your event by replacing Jesus and the disciples at the The Last Supper with men in drag. There are 2.4 billion Christians on earth and apparently the Olympics wanted to declare loudly to all of them, right out of the gate NOT WELCOME,” said podcast host Clint Russell. 

Many Catholic Bishops have commented on this event, including Bishop Andrew Cozzens, the Chairman of the Board of the National Eucharistic Congress. 

“Jesus experienced his Passion anew Friday night in Paris when his Last Supper was publicly defamed,” Bishop Cuzzens said in a statement posted on social media. “As his living body, we are invited to enter into this moment of passion with him, this moment of public shame, mockery, and persecution. We do this through prayer and fasting. And our greatest prayer - in season and out of season - is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.”

The Paris Olympics opening ceremony artistic director Thomas Jolly issued an apology, stating his “wish isn’t to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock. Most of all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion and not at all to divide.”

Many people were outraged by this apology, including Bishop Robert Barron. 

“I saw the so-called apology from the organizing committee, and it is anything but an apology. In fact, it’s kind of a masterpiece of woke duplicity. If they felt this is meant to mollify Christians, I would think again,” said Bishop Barron in a video posted to X. “Christians were offended because it was offensive and it was intended to be offensive. So please don’t patronize us with these condescending remarks.”