The Catholic Bishop of Oyo diocese, Emmanuel Badejo, has condemned the recreation of ‘Last Supper’ scene by drag artists and dancers in the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games on Friday, saying it was offensive and disrespectful to Christianity.

“The religious depictions of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” painting with contemporary ideological figures that are clearly offensive to Christianity at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games 2024 in France is to say the least shocking and disrespectful,” Mr Badejo said in a statement on Tuesday.

Organisers of the Paris Olympics apologised following outcry over parody of the Last Supper scene of Jesus Christ with his 12 disciples — an incident which many Christians around the world consider sacrilegious to the faith.

The scene from the ceremony went viral with Catholic Church and Christian groups, politicians and individuals subsequently condemning the scene depiction which the Olympic organisers claimed was the interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus.

Joining other Christian figures around the world to condemn the incident, Mr Badejo who is also President of the Pan African Episcopal Commission for Social Communications, tagged the move as part of the deliberate attempt in Europe and America to repurpose and cheapen Christian.

“Sadly, it is a perpetration of deliberate ongoing attempts in Europe and America to repurpose and cheapen Christian themes without regard for peace loving Christians who practise and profess their religion in peace,” the 63-year-old clergyman said.

“That this decadent caricature of one of the most cherished events of Christianity is publicised in France, a country with a rich and old Christian heritage, and at the Olympic games, detracts from the status of the Olympics and belies all claims to enduring civility and respect for freedom of religion in the West.”

He said “Christians should exercise their right of outrage and boycott to the extent that the damage already caused can be mitigated and redressed and future occurrences prevented,” noting that “governing bodies and organisations should take full responsibility for accommodating such insulting, tasteless art.”