His Eminence Archbishop Makarios, Archbishop of Australia, referring to the recent opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris, speaks of a spectacle that was clearly beneath the circumstances, containing scenes of disrespect and insult to Christianity and the Church.
In a message, via the social platform Instagram, His Eminence underlines:
“It is everyone’s right to be an atheist. But no one has the right to mock our faith and, indeed, the truth of the Gospel for which blood has been shed.”
The post as it appears on Instagram:
At the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris, we watched with utter disappointment a spectacle that was clearly beneath the occasion. It featured scenes of irreverence that were offensive to Christianity and the Church.
Everyone has the right to be an atheist, but no one has the right to mock or ridicule my faith, especially the truth of the Gospel for which blood has been shed.
You have the freedom to live as you choose; you have the right to be homosexual, but you do not have the right to impose your way of life on our society. If you want to hold pride parades,
you must understand what you are proud of. Be proud of your accomplishments, your hard work, your education, your successes, your history, and your culture. But do not take pride in your sexuality. What you do in your sexual life is not a reason for pride.
We are tired of this. The dignity of the human person is being mocked. Reality is being distorted. Our (sense of /or: ability to) reason is being challenged.
We pray that God will en- lighten those who seek to undermine the value of faith, and we assert that it is unacceptable for such ideologies to be promoted in institutions as prestigious as the Olympic Games.
