Fake news of mass Catholic protests against the Olympics circulates online

Catholic celebration of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 2022. Photo: Screenshot from X video

A video circulating on social media falsely claims mass Catholic protests in France against anti-Christian parodies at the Olympics' opening ceremony on July 26, 2024. The event actually took place two years ago in Lourdes.

"French Christians out in mass tonight protesting against the mockery of Jesus and the last supper during the opening ceremony of the Olympics," reads an X post of July 29, showing thousands of people carrying candles and singing the "Hymn of Lourdes (Immaculate Mary)."

Similar messages have been spread on other X channels in several languages, including English, Arabic, French, and Portuguese.

In reality, the footage was taken in Lourdes, France, during the Catholic celebration of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 2022.

As the UOJ reported, the Bulgarian Church reacted to the blasphemy during the Olympics' opening ceremony, stating: "Without faith in Christ, Europe has no future."

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