The French embassy has reacted to dismay in some quarters over a scene in the Olympics opening ceremony seen as mocking the Last Supper, quoting the artistic producer saying that was not what was being depicted.

The conference of French bishops, as well as Malta's Archbishop Charles Scicluna were among those who condemned the scene.

The archbishop even urged the public to write to the French ambassador in Malta to raise their objections. 

In a statement, the French embassy said it was sorry that Christians felt offended by the dinner scene where some believed they detected a parody of the Last Supper.

The embassy added a quote from St John saying: “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment”.

The embassy then quoted the ceremony's artistic director explaining how the scene did not depict the Last Supper at all.

"So no, it wasn't my inspiration. In fact, I think it was quite clear that Dionysus was coming to the table. Why Dionysus? Because he is first and foremost the god of celebration in Greek mythology, and the painting is called "Les Festivités". He is the god of wine, an important symbol in France, and the father of Sequana, the goddess linked to the river Seine. (...) You will never find in me any desire to mock or denigrate. I wanted to organise a ceremony that would repair and reconcile, and that would reaffirm the values of our Republic: liberty, equality and fraternity".

The embassy said France was proud of its heritage and patrimony: it watched in horror as the cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris burned down, and is following with emotion the stages of its reconstruction.

France, it said, was also the country of free thought, secularism, the freedom to believe and the freedom not to believe. As such, the country cherished the freedom of creation, the freedom that guided the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.