Christian worshippers in Mosul, Iraq, were called on Monday (29/7) by the city’s Syrian Catholic Archbishop to fast, in response to the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, which was described as “insult to religion” and for her “humanity”.
“We have nothing to offer but prayer and fasting that God will forgive this great offense.”Yunan Hano, the Syrian Catholic archbishop of Mosul, told AFP.
“We were shocked because France is a country of secularism and humanity, a country that respects all nationalities and all religions, and that such offensive behavior towards religious symbols comes from this country.”he added.
On the eve of this appeal, the Chaldean Catholic Church of Iraq also expressed its emotion in a press release, saying that its Patriarch, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sacco, Iraq’s top Christian leader, “it is next to the Church of France”.
“What happened during the ceremony (…) is a shame”that hurts “the faith and feelings (…) of Christians in the world”underlined. “The principles of the Olympic Games are to unite people in love, respect and cooperation, not in bitterness and division.”he added.
The part of the ceremony that generated the most controversy involved a group of people at a table that included several drag queens, staged in a way that resembled the Last Supper, Jesus’ last meal with his apostles.
The French Episcopal Conference (CEF) rejected on Saturday “scenes of mockery and ridicule of Christianity”. Thomas Joly, artistic director of the opening ceremony, admitted the next day that “inspired” of the Last Supper.
From over 1.5 million people in 2003, the Iraqi Christian community has dwindled to about 400,000.
Source: AFP