The Olympic Games are a premier sporting event, which attracts the interest of millions of our fellow people from every corner of the globe, and their opening ceremony is of great importance, as it serves to highlight the history and culture of the host country and to spread positive messages globally.
It was with great sadness that we watched, during the ceremony in Paris, insulting performances about Christianity and the holy Gospel, but also for every civilized person who recognizes the right to faith and respect to religious symbols.
These images not only did not brighten the ceremony but blackened it. Blasphemy towards God is not progress, nor is it a right to insult the religious beliefs of our fellow men. The spontaneous expression of aversion and disapproval by the world, hopefully, has sent a sufficiently loud message to those responsible and is a source of hope to avoid similar actions in the future.
From the Ecumenical Patriarchate
July 29, 2024
