Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has voiced his frustration with “immoral” scenes at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris last week in a phone call with Pope Francis, calling on him to take a joint stance against what he called an attack on sacred values, according to a statement from his office.
A scene during Friday’s showpiece event featured dancers and drag queens reminiscent of the Last Supper, the final meal Jesus is said to have shared with his apostles.
Organizers have said they intended to portray a pagan feast and meant no offense, but Catholic groups and US presidential candidate Donald Trump were among critics slamming the act as a disrespectful parody.
Erdoğan told the pope during the phone call that human dignity is being trampled, religious and moral values are being mocked under the guise of freedom of expression and tolerance, and that this offends Muslims as much as the Christian world, adding that it is necessary to take a common stand against them, according to the statement from the presidency on X.
It also added that Pope Francis thanked Erdoğan for his sensitivity about denigration of Christian values.
Erdoğan raised his first criticism about the opening ceremony earlier this week, saying that although he was invited, he did not attend the event following a warning from his 13-year-old granddaughter who said the event would feature LGBTQ shows.
He slammed the organizers of the Olympic Games for using the event to promote the “perversion” that ruins families and puts future generations at risk due to the inclusion of LGBTQ athletes and events.
Held on the Seine River, the spectacular four-hour opening ceremony featured global stars such as Celine Dion and Lady Gaga, both considered queer icons. The event also showcased French DJ and producer Barbara Butch, an LGBTQ+ icon.
“The LGBT lobby has taken the West hostage,” said Erdoğan, who is notorious for his public attacks on the LGBTQ community.
The Paris 2024 Olympics broke a record by having 193 openly LGBTQ+ athletes competing, according to Outsports, a website compiling a database of openly queer Olympians. The count surpassed the 186 athletes at the COVID-19-delayed Tokyo Olympics held in 2021.
Meanwhile, French newspaper Le Monde, however, reported that Erdoğan, along with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, were not on the Elysee list of guests.