Barbara Butch mocks our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, when he gave humanity the gift of his Body and Blood at the Last Supper, the night before his Crucifixion and Death.
We are supposed to acknowledge her right to offend more than two billion Christians.
No rights are absolute, including the right to freedom of speech. People of faith also have the right to a proper and due respect from others for their sacred beliefs and practices. This right to respect springs from our inherent human dignity.
There are limits to the right to freedom of speech—and in this case, the Paris 2024 organizing committee has overstepped them.
Highly plausible analysis by Doctor Grande:
https://youtu.be/M3xjRcfxVKo?si=8bYuPBhmQ2orOuA6
—Dr. Todd Grande, “Did Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony Intentionally Mock ‘The Last Supper?’ | Summary and Analysis,” YouTube video, 11:21 minutes, July 29, 2024
MOCK definition
treat with contempt or ridicule: deride
A sacred event for Christians, the Last Supper, is depicted in the manner of a parody, with obviously facetious intent = mockery
Mockery is the intent of the depiction—a violation of the third commandment.
The widely publicized farcical intent was disavowed after the outcry. See:
“Barbara Butch, who wore a silver aureole halo crown head-dress and low-cut dress while portraying a figure some interpreted to be Jesus in the sketch, posted a screenshot image of her performance above an image of Da Vinci’s original painting to her Instagram account with the comment, ‘Oh yes! Oh yes! The new gay testament!’” It was later deleted.
—Rob Harris, “‘Not a provocation’: Drag show performers thought biblical painting was inspiration,” The Sydney Morning Herald (July 31, 2024)
Bishop Barron on so-called apology of the organizing committee of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games:
“Masterpiece of ‘woke’ duplicity” (0:20)
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1230636264969991
—Bishop
Robert Barron, “To the Paris Olympics organizing committee, not good enough,” Facebook
video, 2:30 minutes, July 29, 2024
The disingenuously activist tableau does not represent French culture:
“I am French. I am…a Catholic…I have never felt so insulted. …I was ashamed. …they insulted Christians all over the world. …as a French Catholic…I want to tell the world that it does not represent all the French people. …we are not represented in this parody.” (0:33)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEv1v4hvkc4
—Bags
passionate, “I, a French Christian react to the Opening Ceremony of the
Olympics Games in Paris. Shame,” YouTube video, 6:42 minutes, July 28, 2024
THE LIMITS TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH
ReplyDeleteIn response to the July 26 Paris Olympics opening ceremony that mocked the Last Supper — and after the French bishops and other Catholic and world leaders decried the display — the Vatican on Saturday issued a statement denouncing the scene.
In a brief statement emailed to journalists in French, the Holy See said it “was saddened by certain scenes at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games and cannot but join the voices raised in recent days to deplore the offense done to many Christians and believers of other religions.”
“In a prestigious event where the whole world comes together around common values, there should not be allusions ridiculing the religious convictions of many people,” the statement continued.
…“Freedom of expression, which is obviously not called into question, finds its limit in respect for others,” the Holy See concluded in its statement.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/258513/vatican-deplores-olympic-offense-done-to-many-christians
—Tina Dennelly, “Vatican deplores Olympic ‘offense done to many Christians,’” Catholic News Agency, August 3, 2024
In a strongly worded open letter, Catholic cardinals and bishops from around the world are calling on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to “repudiate” and “apologize” for the “intentionally hateful mockery” of the Last Supper during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
In addition, “the undersigned commit to a day of prayer and fasting in reparation for this blasphemy.”
The letter was signed by three cardinals and 24 bishops as of Friday, Aug. 2, and states: “With shock, the world watched as the Summer Olympics in Paris opened with a grotesque and blasphemous depiction of the Last Supper.”
“It is hard to understand how the faith of over 2 billion people can be so casually and intentionally blasphemed,” say the prelates, who include Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke; Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier, OFM; and Cardinal Berhaneyesus Demerew Souraphiel, CM.
…Several more bishops from around the world also gave their name after the initial publication.
The prelates demand that the IOC “repudiate this blasphemous action and apologize to all people of faith,” warning that the display “threatens people of all faiths and of none, as it opens the door to those with power doing whatever they wish to people they do not like.”
https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2024/08/vatican-belatedly-joins-chorus-of-protest-over-olympic-last-supper-parody
—CNA Staff, “Catholic bishops around the world demand IOC formal apology for ‘blasphemous’ Olympic opening,” Catholic News Agency, August 2, 2024
To be continued
Gonzalinho
THE LIMITS TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH
DeleteContinued
At one point, the genitalia of a man wearing short black hotpants was exposed while a little girl stood in front of him, in front of what was supposed to be the table.
…Organizers came under fire for the spectacle, with critics condemning not only the provocative nature of the drag show and the apparent mockery of Christianity, but also for the presence of a child in the performance.
Catholic leaders from around the world, including the French bishops conference and two Vatican officials, condemned the incident, with at least one, Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta and adjunct secretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, making a formal complaint to the French ambassador to Malta, and encouraging others to do the same in their nations.
Prominent leaders from other religions, including Judaism and Islam, also made public condemnations of the scene, and some companies, including C Spire, pulled advertising from the Olympics.
…On Thursday Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a phone call to Pope Francis in which he urged a collective condemnation of what he said was the “ridicule” of moral and religious values at the Olympic opening ceremony, according to a statement from the president’s office.
The Vatican has not confirmed the call or its contents, nor has it denied it.
https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2024/08/vatican-belatedly-joins-chorus-of-protest-over-olympic-last-supper-parody
—Elise Ann Allen, “Vatican belatedly joins chorus of protest over Olympic Last Supper parody,” Crux, August 3, 2024
“Freedom of expression…finds its limit in respect for others.”
Gonzalinho
The actual objection of religious persons to the Paris Olympics 2024 tableau is theological, not philosophical. God is blasphemed in the display. However, the secular proponents of the display will not be responsive to theological arguments because it finds no footing in their worldview. That’s why a philosophical argument is presented based on human dignity and rights.
ReplyDelete“Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” (Luke 9:26)
Gonzalinho
A LEFTIST PAPACY?
ReplyDeleteArchbishop Charles J. Scicluna has condemned the parodying of the Last Supper, during a segment of the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, describing it as a “gratuitous insult to the Eucharist” in a message to the French Ambassador.
The tableau in question mimicked Leonardo Da Vinci's famous painting of the Last Supper, depicting Jesus Christ’s last meal with the twelve apostles before his crucifixion, but replaced the Biblical characters with a group of drag queens, a transgender model and a naked singer painted blue representing Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, has drawn sharp criticism from many quarters, including the Catholic church in France.
Unsurprisingly, this has led to a backlash. “This ceremony has unfortunately included scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity, which we very deeply deplore,” the Conference of French bishops said in a statement.
https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/130444/a_gratuitous_insult_to_the_eucharist__archbishop_slams_olympics_ceremony_last_supper_parody
—Matthew Agius, “‘A gratuitous insult to the Eucharist’” - Archbishop slams Olympics ceremony’s ‘Last Supper’ parody,” Malta Today, July 27, 2024
The week after the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremonies ought to have been comparatively easy for Vatican communications to handle. When there is a global denunciation of anti-Christian blasphemy, it ought to be simple for the Vatican to add its voice.
But instead, the Holy Father kept silent for eight days, and only released a tepid statement on a Saturday evening in the most understated manner possible. It was decidedly little and very late.
While the brief statement said that the Holy See “cannot but join the voices raised in recent days to deplore the offense,” it had spent the week proving that it could do just that. It was only when voices from outside the Catholic world spoke out that the Holy Father decided to speak himself.
What happened?
…On the same day that Vatican News published the message to Outreach, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey revealed that he had spoken by phone with Pope Francis about the “immoral displays at the opening of the Paris Olympic Games which caused outrage and provoked reactions.”
The president’s office reported that Erdoğan told the Holy Father that “it was necessary to raise voices together and take a common stance in this regard.”
That was likely the final point at which, having received an explicit — and publicly disclosed — request from a Muslim head of government, the Holy See could no longer resist. Another two days would pass before the muted statement would be sent out after hours on Saturday evening. Previous generations of Ottomans would have been surprised to learn of such Turkish influence in Rome.
—Father Raymond J. de Souza, “Paris Blasphemy: What Took the Vatican So Long to Respond?” National Catholic Register, August 8, 2024
The literal instant I saw the derogatory Last Supper tableau I recognized the work of Satan. The proponents had consented to the influence of the devil. Satan thinks politics, and he thinks big.
The controversy flew under the Vatican radar for about a week before the pope finally took aim.
The only explanation that occurred to me for the delay is that we are now living under a leftist papacy.
Jesus dealt with blasphemy (cf. Matthew 3:28-30), so we shouldn’t be surprised. Times haven’t changed, inasmuch as human nature is still the same.
Gonzalinho
WHY IS IT BLASPHEMY?
ReplyDeleteThe cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the Blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the Body of Christ? (1 Corinthians 10:16)
As Christians we are saved (i.e. prepared for heaven) through faith by grace - the free gift of God's life earned by Jesus Christ on the wood of the Cross (Eph 2:8-10; Acts 15:11). In faith we receive this saving grace through the Sacraments - outward, sensible signs instituted by Christ through which inward grace is given to our souls. For example during Baptism (Matt 28:19), we are outwardly washed with water but inwardly receive sanctifying grace which reconciles us with God (1 Cor 6:11; 1 Pet 3:21; Acts 2:38).
According to the Catholic Church, there are seven Sacraments: Baptism (Mark 16:16), Reconciliation (John 20:21-23), Confirmation (Acts 8:14-17), the Eucharist (1 Cor 10:16), Holy Matrimony (Eph 5:22-32), Holy Orders (Acts 6:5-6) and the Anointing of the Sick (Mark 6:13; James 5:14-15). In this tract we will focus on only one Sacrament - the Eucharist - with special attention placed on the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
The Eucharist is a Sacrament since it was instituted by Christ in the Gospels (Matt 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; John 6). Its outward signs are the wheat bread and grape wine over which the words of consecration – “This is My Body, this is My Blood” - are said by the priest as the representative of Christ. The inward grace is Christ Himself, the Author of all grace – “He who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood abides in Me, and I in him.” (John 6:56) The Catholic Church teaches that the Eucharist, even though it still appears as bread and wine after consecration, is truly the Real Presence of Christ - His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity (Council of Trent, 13th Session).
…Christ instituted the Eucharist during the Last Supper (Matt 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-20). St. Paul in his Letter to the Corinthians also wrote about the Last Supper:
...that the Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, “This is My Body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” (1 Cor 11:23-24; also see 1 Cor 10:16)
Notice that in all four versions of the Last Supper, Jesus said: “This is My Body” and not “This represents (or symbolizes) My Body.” A few verses later, St. Paul also added:
Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the Body and Blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgement upon himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. (1 Cor 11:27-30)
To be continued
Gonzalinho
WHY IS IT BLASPHEMY?
DeleteContinued
…The early Christians also had a Catholic understanding of the Eucharist. In The Didache - a 1st century catechism - the Apostles wrote:
Assemble on the Lord’s Day, and break bread and offer the Eucharist; but first make confession of your faults, so that your sacrifice may be a pure one. (The Didache 14:1; Early Christian Writings, Penguin Classics, 1987, p. 197)
This is the same advice as given by St. Paul. Confessing one’s sins in preparation would not be necessary, if the Eucharist were not a sacrifice or merely a symbol of Christ. In a letter written 110 A.D., St. Ignatius of Antioch warned the Smyrnaeans about the Docetes - gnostic heretics:
They (the Docetes) have no care for love, no thought for the widow and orphan, none at all for the afflicted, the captive, the hungry, or the thirsty. They even absent themselves from the Eucharist and public prayers, because they will not admit that the Eucharist is the self-same Body of our Saviour Jesus Christ which suffered for our sins... (Epistle to the Smyrnaeans 6-7; Ibid., p. 102)
St. John Chrysostom in the 4th century during a sermon said this about the Eucharist:
How many of you say: “I should like to see His face, His garments, His sandals.” You do see Him, you touch Him, you eat Him. He gives Himself to you, not only that you may see Him, but also to be your food and nourishment. (Quote from: John Laux, Mass and the Sacraments, TAN, 1990, p. 43)
—“The Blessed Sacrament: Jesus Christ,” Catholic News Agency, printed with permission from A Catholic Response, Inc.
If you don’t believe in the Real Presence, then you wouldn’t consider it blasphemy.
“As the eleven were at table, he appeared to them and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw him after he had been raised.
“He said to them, ‘Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.’” (Mark 16:14-16)
Jesus’ words.
Gonzalinho