ATLANTA–On July 28, Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer, OFM Conv., of Atlanta, issued a statement regarding the recent events at the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in Paris, France:

Archbishop Hartmayer

“The Olympics are the pinnacle of international sporting events and are supposed to reflect unity in diversity. Athletes come together from around the world, from different countries and continents, cultures and ways of life, united in a common goal–to compete well and fairly, and to bring honor to the nations they represent.  It is always edifying to hear the individual stories of athletes who surmount major obstacles and listen and witness to their faith and the impact that it has made on their lives.  

The motto of the modern Olympic Games, ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger,’ was coined by French Dominican friar Louis Henri Didon, who became friends with the founder of the modern Olympic Games, Baron Pierre Coubertin, five years before the 1896 Athens Games. The motto, originally formulated in Latin as ‘Citius, Altius, Fortius,’ was used before the modern Olympic movement at St. Albert the Great School in Paris, where the Dominican friar was the principal. (Source: Catholic News Agency) 

Many might remember the classic movie, ‘Chariots of Fire,’ the story of two British athletes in the 1924 Paris Olympics. One of the athletes was the Scottish Christian runner Eric Liddell who explained: ‘I believe that God made me for a purpose. But he also made me fast, and when I run, I feel his pleasure.’ Liddell refused to run the 100-meter dash on a Sunday because of his reverence for the Lord’s Day. He went on to win the 400-meter race. It is also the story of Harold Maurice Abrahams, the son of Jewish immigrants from Polish Lithuania, who was a victim of anti-Semitism and class prejudice. Both attained victory. In a similar way, we can look at the dedication of Muslim athletes who train while fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.    

One hundred years later in 2024, Paris is once again the host city of the Olympics. The first article of the French Constitution states that France is a secular republic. Consequently, athletes representing France are forbidden to wear headscarves as well as other visibly religious symbols, such as the Cross or the Star of David; it is very clear that the secularist state will not tolerate religion. 

However, the host country of the 2024 Olympics chose and used its world stage to publicly mock, ridicule and defame the Last Supper, a key moment in the life of Christ and his Apostles, before his death on the cross on Calvary. While Christians may interpret Scripture differently, we are united in our respect for the Word of God, which is the history of our salvation. Like Judaism and Islam, Christianity is a monotheistic religion of the Book. Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting of the Last Supper was recreated in which a female disc jockey depicting Jesus, along with dancers and drag queens, representing the Apostles, struck poses along a long table mimicking da Vinci’s painting. This was utterly reprehensible and grossly offensive to all people of goodwill. 

St. Irenaeus, the great second century Bishop of Lyons and Father of the Church, wrote: ‘The glory of God is the human person fully alive.’ This quote beautifully expresses what the Olympics is all about as athletes use their God-given gifts, talents and abilities for good. It is a celebration of human achievement. Sadly, what should have been a platform to celebrate the good, the true and the beautiful was used as an opportunity to desecrate and scandalize the Christian faith. I would urge that the International Olympic Committee prayerfully reflect on the depravity of what happened to ensure that this will never happen again. I encourage Catholics and people of good will to pray and fast in reparation for the blasphemy that was witnessed by the whole world.”