Türkiye’s president to call pope on ‘immorality committed against Christian world’ at Paris Olympics

‘Disgraceful scene in Paris offended not only Catholic world, not only Christian world, but also us as much as them,’ says Recep Tayyip Erdogan

2024-07-30 17:41:09

ISTANBUL

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday said he will call Pope Francis at the earliest to discuss “immorality committed against the Christian world” at the Paris Olympic opening ceremony last week.

“Disgraceful scene in Paris offended not only the Catholic world, not only the Christian world, but also us as much as them,” Erdogan said in an address in the capital Ankara.

“Immorality displayed at opening of the Paris Olympics once again highlighted the scale of the threat we face,” he added. ​​​​​​​

The opening ceremony of the Olympics drew significant backlash for a drag queen parody of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper, which many viewed as disrespectful to religious beliefs.​​​​​​​