President Biden and Vice President Harris are facing criticism for not addressing the religious community’s outrage over what appeared to be a parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” featured during the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Olympics on Friday.
Biden, who identifies as Catholic, has yet to comment on the event. Other world leaders deemed it “insulting” and a “war on our faith.” Asked about the opening ceremony and backlash from the religious community, neither Biden nor Harris’ office responded to Fox News Digital.
“We call on President Biden to condemn the sacrilegious mockery of the Last Supper portrayed at the Olympics’ opening ceremony. Our leaders, especially one who self-identifies as Catholic, should have no trouble denouncing such hateful attacks on Christianity,” said Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote, a conservative, nonprofit political advocacy group.
“You can be sure the Biden-Harris administration would not remain silent if Olympic organizers had mocked Jewish or Islamic believers or any other religion other than Christianity. Their silence speaks volumes about their respect for Christian believers in a country they hope to lead for the next four years,” Burch added.
Biden’s wife, first lady Jill Biden, praised the opening ceremony as “spectacular” in remarks from Paris.
However, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had a very different opinion, saying the ceremony was an attack on Christian values.
“Last night’s mockery of the Last Supper was shocking and insulting to Christian people around the world who watched the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games,” Johnson said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “The war on our faith and traditional values knows no bounds today. But we know that truth and virtue will always prevail.”
“Opening the Olympics by insulting billions of Christians around the world was a really bad start, dear French,” Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini wrote in a statement. “Seedy.”
Biden and Harris have not yet made any public statements regarding the controversial ceremony.
Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
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