The assistant bishop of Paris, Philippe Marceau, said: Binder The closing ceremony of the Games, on Sunday (11), at the Stade de France, is expected to be “a little less offensive” than the opening ceremony.
The opening ceremony of the Games, held on July 26 in a large area along the Seine, sparked controversy because of the audacity of the show’s director, Thomas Joly. One of the biggest controversies was an alleged parody of Holy Communion, with drag queens, which angered many Catholics.
“I think Thomas Joly is a man of good will. I hope he understands what his team did. Maybe he didn't. And that the closing ceremony is less offensive to those who don't think like him,” Monsignor Marcet said during an ecumenical event organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in front of Notre Dame Cathedral last week.
Julie will also be in charge of the closing show.
Amid the controversy, the French director said he did not intend to offend anyone, just to celebrate diversity. The performance will not be a reference to Christ's Last Supper, but rather to Greek mythology.
IOC President Thomas Bach, the German, downplayed the controversy at a press conference on Friday (9). “You can't have both: a spectacle of this importance, and you don't expect anyone to have anything to comment on it. We see this as a sign of the political importance of the Games.”
