
By now you’ve probably heard about the latest mockery of Catholicism, and in particular the Holy Eucharist, at the Olympics’ opening ceremonies. This show was being planned while Catholics in the United States were venerating the Most Blessed Sacrament, crossing the continent with 2000-mile Eucharistic processions, and gathering in Indianapolis for our Eucharistic Congress. Good people can differ on how to react to public blasphemy, but we should all know that mocking the deeply-held beliefs of two billion people at such a venerable expression of international solidarity is unacceptably offensive. In particular, for two billion Christians, what the Olympic organizers did was gravely offensive to God.
France has been called “the Eldest Daughter of the Church,” and not uncommonly the oldest child rebels against her parents. The cultural elites in Europe have been in open rebellion against their own culture for many decades now. A respect for all peoples, however, requires that we Catholics correct the offense. We will not riot and burn and kill those who have hurt us, nor will we scream and cancel those who have offended us. But we must firmly correct those who have offended against human respect. Perhaps they were not fully aware of what they were doing, but in any case loving but firm fraternal correction is fundamental to any healthy community.
We must let the Olympic Commission know that their mockery of our culture is gravely offensive and unacceptable. We must point out that if they will not blaspheme other religions such as Islam, nor mock those who hold beliefs in things like “gender equality” or “intersectional values,” they should not mock Christianity. Olympic middle management has already offered an “apology:” Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group, the Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps told a press conference. [The opening ceremony] tried to celebrate community tolerance, We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offence we are really sorry. Of course, this no apology, as there clearly was an intention “to disrespect a religious group,” and if the organizers claim that no harm was done, then they are not “really sorry.”
Catholics, however, don’t need an apology. What we need to do is make a correction. Whether powerful people apologize or not, they must know that those they have offended do not accept the offense. That is called “turning the other cheek” rather than pretending that no offense was given. You can make that fraternal correction by emailing the leaders at Olympics.com\ioc\contact-us. You could also let your thoughts be known to the French Ambassador, Denis Bower, at [email protected]. This attack on Catholic culture and religion is not a trivial matter, but it could pass by with little notice if we don’t speak up. Unless we do speak, and perhaps even if we do, the attacks on our faith and culture will intensify. We must be prepared for that, but we must also exercise our prophetic vocation from God, witnessing to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which calls us all to respect and reverence each other.