The opening ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics has sparked a lot of controversies. Full House actress Candace Cameron Bure is the latest to speak out against it.
The ceremony, held on Friday, July 26, featured drag performers at a long table. Many Christian groups called it “blasphemous” and a “mockery” of Christianity, saying it resembled Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of The Last Supper with Jesus and his Twelve Apostles.
The event drew even more criticism when singer Phillippe Katerine appeared dressed as Dionysus, the ancient Greek god of wine, fertility, and religious ecstasy.
This is a MOCKERY OF JESUS CHRIST.
— Graham Allen (@GrahamAllen_1) July 26, 2024
The Olympics decided to include a *child* in their hyper-s*xualized rendition of The Last Supper
This is SHAMEFUL…
pic.twitter.com/xNxtVnii0Z
Many prominent conservative figures, including former President Donald Trump, voiced their disapproval. Trump said, “I thought that the opening ceremony was a disgrace… I mean, they can do certain things. I thought it was terrible.”
He added that if he’s president during the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, the country “won’t be having a Last Supper portrayed the way they portrayed it the other night.”
“I just think… Look, I’m for everybody. I’m very open-minded — you understand, you know me better than most people know me — but I thought what they did was a disgrace,” Trump said.
Candace Cameron Bure, known for her role as D.J. Tanner on Full House and Fuller House, also shared her thoughts. On Sunday, July 28, the 48-year-old actress posted a video on Instagram.
“It felt too important not to [speak up] and I love the Olympic Games, I love them. My husband [Val Bure] is a two-time Olympic medalist, so is my brother-in-law, and my father-in-law is a three-time Olympic medalist,” Bure said.
“I have many friends that have competed in Games over the years and it’s something as a kid I have always loved… the Olympic Games have always brought me so much joy.”
Watch Bure’s video below:
Bure expressed her disappointment, saying, “The Olympics is the opportunity for the best athletes in the world to compete for the title, so to watch such an incredible event that’s going to take place over the next two weeks and see the opening ceremonies complexly blasphemed and mock the Christian faith with their interpretation of the Last Supper was disgusting.”
“It made me so sad and someone said, ‘You shouldn’t be sad. You should be mad about it,’” Bure continued. “I’m like, ‘Trust me, it makes me mad, but I’m more sad because I’m sad for souls.’
I pray for my heart to break over what breaks God’s heart and I just think about all the people that have rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ or don’t know the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
She quoted the Bible, saying, “In Galatians, it says, ‘God is not mocked for whatever a person sows he will also reap because the one who sows … will reap destruction from the flesh.'”
Bure encouraged her followers to “keep sharing the gospel” with everyone, even those who are already Christian. “There’s Christians out there that say, ‘Well, I’m a Christian, it didn’t really bother me,’” she explained.
“Those people need to hear the gospel too. It’s the ones that are lukewarm about it that may think like, ‘Ah – I don’t want to ruffle any feathers. Live and let live. Let people do what they want. I’m just gonna stay in my corner and be quiet about it,’” she concluded.
In response to the backlash, Thomas Jolly, the director of the opening ceremony, denied that the performance was meant to represent The Last Supper. He explained that his inspiration came from the Feast of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine.
“My wish isn’t to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock,” he said, as cited by News.com.au. “Most of all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion and not at all to divide.”
Anne Descamps, a spokeswoman for Paris 2024, also addressed the outrage, saying, “Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. If people have taken any offense, we are of course really, really sorry.”
Meanwhile, Barbara Butch, the DJ at the center of the controversial performance, announced she will file legal complaints over the abuse she has suffered since the ceremony aired. “All my life, I’ve refused to be a victim:
I won’t shut up,” she said in a statement on Instagram. “I’m not afraid of those who hide behind a screen, or a pseudonym, to spew their hatred and frustrations.
I will fight them without ever trembling. I’m committed, and I’m proud. Proud of who I am, of what I am, and of what I embody, both for my loved ones and for millions of French people. My France is France!” she added.
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