As children we were brought up to give up our seats to older people in public transport. To give thanks and apologize when necessary. When entering a church, we must take off our hats. They taught us, but we also learned ourselves because we saw it around us. There was no subject of “decency”, no department or law. It is not in the Constitution either. In order to understand at least partially the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris, it is necessary to know that the subconscious of the French is imbued with the law “it is forbidden to prohibit!“
From the revolution in 1789 until today, defiance and provocation have become the engine of art, fashion and ingenuity. In many cases - at the expense of the rules. Sometimes outside of them. From Gustave Courbet to Picasso and from Coco Chanel to Gustave Eiffel.
On July 26, in addition to the brilliant staging of the ceremony, its directors resorted to trampling the sacred, the untouchable to this day – the Christian faith. They did it in the name of a new ideology that included the struggle of LGBT and all kinds of minorities. As a result, the majority in France and the 4 billion Christians in the world felt neglected and defiled.
Tourists from South and North America, as well as those from all over Europe, filled the comfortable stands around the courts for beach volleyball, fencing or swimming matches. They had come for the sport, not to take history lessons. Many of them did not even speak French. Contested judo and basketball matches helped them forget the four hours of the rainy opening night of the games.
For the representatives of the various monarchical dynasties, however, this ceremony will remain unforgettable. Their list is impressive. Out of ten neighboring countries, France borders eight monarchies. Well-intentioned, they had all come with wives, children and relatives. Some of them require 2-3 pages for their baptismal certificates. King Felipe VI of Spain and his wife – Queen Letizia. King Frederik of Denmark and his wife Queen Marie. Grand Duke Henri and Duchess Maria Theresa of Luxembourg. Prince Albert II of Monaco and his wife Princess Charlene.
Close or distant relatives of Marie-Antoinette, willy-nilly, endured 45 minutes during which, before their eyes, the severed head of the French queen was accompanied by the ominous anthem of the revolutionaries of 1790. “ A ça ira, ça ira, les aristocrates on les pendera!'' (And it will happen, it will happen, we will hang the aristocrats!)
There is no Frenchman who is proud of the beheading of the 37-year-old queen. It is unreasonable for everyone. It weighs on their conscience to this day. Marie-Antoinette was radiant, fashionable and so well-mannered that when climbing the ladder of the scaffold, she stepped lightly on her executioner and apologized to him: “ Sir, please forgive me, I did not do it on purpose!“
By accident or on purpose, the pretentious creators of the ceremony left out Charles Martel, Joan of Arc, Victor Hugo, Marie Curie and Marcel Cerdan!? Names that unite and of which the French are proud.
The descendant of the Bourbons and indirect grandson of Louis XIV – The Grand Duke d'Anjou – Charles Philippe d'Orléans, published an extensive interview in which he said: “I cry with shame for France!“
The main culprit and director of the show – Thomas Joly defends himself every day in front of all possible media. He was not understood! He wanted to say something else entirely. Mocking the Christian religion was not his aim.
The participant in the nightmarish parody of “The Last Supper” of Leonardo – the blue-painted Philip Catherine cannot explain the meaning of his role. What does the God of wine and debauchery have to do with the Olympic ideals? Unlike Thomas Joly, he hides behind the wisdom of the gospel: Forgiveness is the essence of the Christian faith! - repeats Philip Catherine, to whom he wants to hear it.
The masters of ceremony at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris stunned the world and pocketed 120,000 euros. Indulgences for “decency“ they will never get.