Candace Cameron Bure is voicing her disapproval of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.
“So to watch such an incredible and wonderful event that’s gonna take place over the next two weeks and see the opening ceremonies completely blaspheme and mock the Christian faith with their interpretation of the Last Supper was disgusting,” said the Full House and Fuller House alum.
Bure, a devout Christian, expressed her displeasure with a portion of the opening ceremony that seemed to represent Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Last Supper.
The actress shared her thoughts on Instagram, stating that while she respects the Olympics because she knows several athletes, this year’s ceremony made her “so sad.”
“And someone said, ‘You shouldn’t be sad. You should be mad about it.’ And I’m like, ‘Trust me. It makes me mad.’ But I’m more sad, because I’m sad for souls.”
Bure encouraged her followers to keep sharing the gospel, emphasizing that even Christians who were indifferent about the ceremony need to hear it.
Since sharing her thoughts, Bure acknowledged that many people have tried to correct her interpretation of the ceremony, but she remained unconvinced.
“I still don’t see how that relates to unifying the world through competitive sports and acceptable for children to watch. In any case, I’m not buying it. I hope you’ll listen all the way through. God loves each and every one of you and His desire is for you to know Him.”
Following the backlash, Thomas Jolly, the artistic director for the ceremony, explained to French news channel BFM TV that there was no intention to mock or denigrate anyone.
“There is Dionysus who arrives on this table. He is there because he is the god of celebration in Greek mythology,” Jolly said, according to NBC. “The idea was to have a pagan celebration connected to the gods of Olympus. You will never find in me a desire to mock and denigrate anyone.”
Anne Descamps, a spokesperson for the 2024 Paris Olympics, apologized to those who took offense to the image, emphasizing that there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group.
“On the contrary, I think that Thomas Jolly really tried to celebrate community tolerance,” Descamps said at a press conference on Saturday. “We believe that this ambition was achieved.”
“If people have taken any offense, we are of course really sorry,” she said.