Erdogan condemns the Olympic Games opening ceremony – calls the Pope

Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was not impressed by the Olympic Games opening ceremony. Now he is condemning the show – and means that it was disrespectful towards Christianity. I will call the Pope as soon as possible, he says.

» Updated: July 31 2024

» Published: July 30 2024

Erdogan condemns the Olympic Games opening ceremony – calls the Pope
Photo: Petros Karadjias/AP/TT

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One act during the show on Friday included several dancers and people in drag, reminiscent of the Last Supper that Jesus is said to have shared with his apostles.

Now, several world leaders are condemning the scene, including Erdogan.

He called the scene a disrespectful parody, among other things.

"I will call the Pope as soon as possible to show him this immorality that has been displayed against the Christian world and its followers. The Olympic Games have been used as a tool to distort human nature," Erdogan said during a party meeting.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also expressed his discontent with the act.

"Respect for #JesusChrist... is an undisputed and definitive issue for Muslims. We condemn these insults directed at the holy figures of divine religions," writes Khamenei on X.

Even the USA's former president Donald Trump dislikes the segment. In an interview with Fox News, Trump says:

I'm very open-minded, but I think what they did was shameful.

Earlier, the artistic leader Thomas Jolly has defended the segment, saying that it has been misunderstood.

It should be obvious. It's Dionysus who arrives at this table. He's there because he's the god of celebration according to Greek mythology, he says to French BFMTV and continues:

The idea was to depict a pagan celebration with the gods of Olympus.

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By TTEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for local and international readers

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