Where is the Anglican outrage at Eucharist Parody?

But more than that it is a direct insult to Jesus Christ and His institution of the Eucharist on Maundy Thursday which was famously depicted in Leonardo da Vinci’s rendition of the Last Supper which is painted on the wall of the dining hall at the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy.

CRUX describes the questionable Olympic satire: “The July 26 Olympic opening ceremony featured a fashion show with men in drag making suggestive runway walks, and included what appeared to be a mockery of the Last Supper …

“At one point during the ceremony, a group of 18 drag performers, including several famous Drag Race France personalities, struck poses behind what appeared to be a long table with the Seine River and Eiffel Tower in the background …

“At the center was a woman in a low-cut dress wearing a large silver headdress, reminiscent of the halo behind Jesus’ head in many artistic depictions of the Last Supper, indicating His Divine status as the Son of God. The woman made a heart shape with her hands as the group stared into the camera before breaking out into a routine …

“As models then took the stage for an impromptu fashion show, the Last Supper characters swayed on the sidelines as a little girl stood with them …

“Later, a large serving tray was placed on the stage, with the top being removed to reveal a scantily clad man painted head to toe in blue, apparently evoking the Greek god Dionysus in a bid to point to the ‘absurdity of violence between human beings,’ according to the official English-language Olympic Games profile on social media platform X.”

As a result, outraged Catholic priests and bishops around the world are speaking up both in their sermons and through social media.

For the most part Anglicans and other non-Catholic Christians have been mute save for the Anglican Diocese of Egypt which posted a strong defense of the faith by the Archbishop of the Episcopal Church on Alexandria’s Facebook page: “We do not accept to violate the teachings of the Bible …

“The Episcopal Church, presided over by Dr. Sami Fouzi, Archbishop of the Region of Alexandria, expresses its disgust towards the inappropriate artwork witnessed by the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games, which includes the scene of the Last Supper, which is an integral part of our Christian identity …

“The landscape between the Last Supper and modern sexual and social changes in secular societies is offensive to all of us as Christians in all our churches, and that freedom of expression should not be taken from the fundamental principles of believers because these changes are unacceptable because they are a blatant violation of the biblical teachings that sex takes place only within the framework of Christian marriage between a man and a woman which is necessary to maintain the fabric of the society, this is the basis of family and social stability, and protects individuals from harmful behaviours …

“And he continued wondering: How can a balance be achieved between freedom of expression and the abuse of religious sanctities, that freedom of speech is the ability to express political, social, cultural and religious opinions, and allows criticism and the expression of new ideas, however, this freedom is not absolute, it imposes certain restrictions to protect the rights of others and prevent the incitement to hate, violence and ridicule among the religious sanctities, the abuse of religious sanctities is a sensitive and complex issue. For us as believers, religious sanctities are not just symbols, they are an integral part of our identity and beliefs and abuse of these sanctities leads to deep feelings of offense and anger.”

One lone Church of England priest also spoke up. He is Fr. Daniel French, the Anglican vicar of Salcombe and Marlborough, who said the skit mocked Christianity and the Last Supper “in a way it never would have for any other religion” and he calls on Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, to criticize the performance.

Fr. French also blogs on North American Anglican and writes for the Spectator.

Yet, Lambeth Palace remains silent about the parody which the Archbishop of Canterbury apparently planned on watching.

Ahead of the Olympics opening ceremony Archbishop Welby posted this on his Facebook page: “The Olympics are here again — this time in Paris — and I plan to watch the Opening Ceremony this evening — will you? …

“I pray for all the sportsmen and women taking part, that they remain calm and in good spirits in the face of challenge …

“I give thanks for the dedication of coaches, trainers, hospitality and security teams, and all those who have worked so hard to put on a huge sporting event for the world to enjoy. I will certainly be cheering you all on.”

However, there was not a peep or a follow-up post from the Archbishop of Canterbury following the Drag Queen sideshow at the Paris Olympics.

Even X’s Elon Musk criticized the parody which he described as being “extremely offensive to Christians.”

Musk was baptized in the Central Methodist Church in Pretoria, South Africa. He later joined the Anglican Church in Waterkloof, where his mother became Sunday School teacher. Musk now considers himself a “cultural Christian.”

Queen Elizabeth II’s former Royal Chaplain Gavin Ashenden, now a Roman Catholic, had this to say about the Parish Olympics Opening Ceremony.

“The opening Olympic ceremony tells us that the elite are afraid of Jesus, the miracle of the Mass, the giftedness of sexuality, and our freedom of speech …” he posted. “… to Christ be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

The question has also been brought up on how would the Muslims react if Muhammad was parodied or dishonored. Would the Muslims world be offended?

We already know the answer to that question when in September 2005 the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten printed several satirical cartoons of Muhammad who is considered a divine prophet in the Islamic world. This led to riots, violence, arrests, inter-governmental tension, and debate about the scope of free speech and the place of Muslims in the Western world.

Many Muslims felt the cartoonish images of Muhammad were insulting and blasphemous, while Westerners defended the caricatures as their right of free speech. A number of governments, organizations, and individuals issued statements defining their stance on the protests or cartoons.

Even the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, asked the Western media to be “more sensitive” in its handling of religious themes.

A Danish newspaper’s satirizing Muhammad through a printed cartoon led to violence in the streets, while blaspheming Christ through a Drag Queen parody of the Eucharist on the world stage before millions of viewers doesn’t even raise the hackles of most Episcopalians, Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists or other Protestant Christians.

Well, at least the Archbishop of Canterbury is in good company. His friend the Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis, hasn’t responded to the Olympics parody either.

Before the Olympics started Pope Francis said: “I hope that this event may be a beacon of the inclusive world we want to build and that athletes, with their sporting testimony, may be messengers of peace and authentic models for young people.”

Mary Ann Mueller is a journalist living in Texas. She is a regular contributor to VirtueOnline

Where is the Anglican outrage at Eucharist Parody?
Archbishop Welby and US Presiding Bishop remain silent over drag queen outrage

By Mary Ann Mueller
VOL Special Correspondent
www.virtueonline.org
July 28, 2024

The Olympics drag queen parody of the Eucharist is not just a “Catholic” story — it’s an Anglican story. It’s a Lutheran story. It’s a Methodist story. It is a Christian story.

Where is the outrage? Of course, the Catholics are inflamed. They see it as a direct insult to the Catholic Mass.