- President Erdogan's conversation with Pope Francis underscores the gravity of this event's affront to sacred values

- Olympic games opening ceremony will be remembered not for its celebration of sport but as a day that will live in infamy

The author is manager of the Istanbul-based TRT World Research Center and author of The News Media at War: The Clash of Western and Arab Networks in the Middle East. Cherkaoui is an expert in strategic communications.

ISTANBUL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pope Francis discussed the "immoral display" at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony during a phone call [1] on Aug. 1, 2024. President Erdogan emphasized the need for a united front against actions that demean sacred values, highlighting that "human dignity was being trampled on, and religious and moral values were being mocked, offending both Muslims and Christians."

2024 Paris ceremony doesn't represent sport and unity of sporting nations

It must be stated that the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics in Paris elicited reactions ranging from shock to disgust. The spirit of the Olympic Games, as envisioned by Pierre de Coubertin, intended to celebrate sport and the unity of sporting nations. The rules of the Olympic Charter (50.2) stipulate that "no kind of political, religious, or racial demonstration or propaganda is permitted in any Olympic venue, site, or other location." However, the 2024 Paris ceremony represented a radical antithesis to the Games' founding principles.

The representation of Jesus was deeply shocking, representing a global debasement of Christianity. This act is already proving costly, with United States (US) advertising and sponsoring contracts being canceled, leading to significant financial losses for the Olympic Committee, particularly the French Olympic Committee. They were forced to apologize. [2]

The ceremony began with a tribute to Zizi Jeanmaire, symbolizing the lively Paris of the Third Republic or even the Third Empire. The ceremony had an "ancient regime" feel and a 15th Louis theme, but in reverse, with the goal of undermining traditional heteronormative values.

The concept of having the sporting nations parade on boats initially seemed promising, showcasing Paris through its historic monuments like the Louvre Museum and the Conciergerie Castle. Yet, this beauty was marred by a crescendo of bizarre elements, disjointed choreography, and aggressive promotion of immorality, resulting in a lack of aesthetic unity and incoherent artistic direction.

What kind of messages did the ceremony include?

The ceremony was designed by Thomas Jolly, a radical LGBT activist. Jolly attempted to blend various themes but failed miserably. The historical beauty of Paris, rooted in the monarchy, was overshadowed by an engineered ideology of chaos and a total mishmash presentation.

The ceremony's parade was very offensive with even a parody of Christ and the apostles. The parody of the Last Supper with drag queens and DJ Barbara Butch, a self-declared [3] "fat Jewish queer," depicting Jesus Christ was particularly shocking. A blue chimera figure humiliating a sacred symbol for hundreds of millions of Christians and Muslims sparked widespread outrage.

The ceremony also included numerous references to Satanism. Changing God's creation and reversing it is the essence of Satanism. That is why transsexualism is considered by many as a form of Satanism because it is both an inversion of God’s creation and a societal confusion. From this perspective, the Last Supper scene can also be interpreted as truly satanic. Similarly, the theme of pedophile-Satanism, accompanied by frightened children, nods to the last phase of the dechristianization of the West.

The scene debasing the Christ drew the most criticism, particularly from the US, and is no longer available on replay. Many televisions from Muslim countries also cut the parade’s footage from their live broadcasts.

Macron's defense

French President Emmanuel Macron, who was associated with all the preparations, subsequently jumped to the defense [4] of the organizers after the enormous backlash and reputational damage.

The blame should not be directed to the directors alone, as the ceremony reflects the French ruling elites' worldview, infused with sexual depravity, satanistic rituals, and anti-religious themes.

Unsurprisingly, the most enthusiastic defenders of the event were Macron’s sycophants, such as Raphael Enthoven and Andre Bercoff, as well as politicians from the Jack Lang era. In a video posted on social media, Jacques Attali, who has long been associated with the circles of power, said that history will judge this opening ceremony. He added: "In 10 years, either these transgressions will have become natural and commonplace, or they will be felt as the measure of what 2024 was a moment of decadence." Such a statement highlights the event's divisive nature and its intended outcome.

After the event sparked outrage, the public relations defense was that blasphemy is permissible in France. However, such a statement is dishonest, as only certain religions are well protected by the force of the law while the rest is not. Islam is systematically denigrated. Christianity comes second. Despite being a historic and majority religion in France, the latter is also regularly smeared without legal consequences.

All in all, the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony has exposed a profound disconnection between the French ruling elites and the rest of the world. President Erdogan's conversation with Pope Francis underscores the gravity of this event's affront to sacred values.

In essence, Olympic games aim to celebrate human achievement while respecting the beliefs and values of an international audience. But the Paris opening ceremony will be remembered not for its celebration of sport but as a day that will live in infamy.

[1] https://apnews.com/article/turkey-erdogan-pope-francis-paris-olympics-sacred-values-c5ee8433b71ea4dddf6b075e77c2d0f9

[2] https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jul/28/paris-olympics-organisers-apologise-to-christians-for-last-supper-parody

[3] https://thejewishindependent.com.au/meet-barbara-butch-fatqueer-jewish-and-olympics-opener-icon

[4] https://www.francetvinfo.fr/les-jeux-olympiques/ceremonies-d-ouverture-et-de-cloture/jo-de-paris-2024-rien-ne-justifie-qu-on-menace-un-artiste-affirme-emmanuel-macron-apres-la-plainte-pour-cyberharcelement-deposee-par-thomas-jolly_6703014.html

*Opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Anadolu