The French Catholic Church deplored the tableau, saying it treated Christianity with “derision and mockery”.
Mr Darmanin rejected that, saying it was an expression of France’s diversity and tolerance.
“The bishops of France can communicate as they wish. Art, and what we saw was art, has always been criticised by religious leaders and others, but we have to accept this debate about art and the creative freedom of artists, otherwise we are not France,” he said.
‘Simple vulgarity’
That was not an opinion shared by Gennaro Sangiuliano, the culture minister in the Right-wing Italian government led by Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister.
He said the performance had “gratuitously offended the sensibilities of billions of Christians, for whom The Last Supper is a beloved representation of an evangelical event”.
While freedom of expression was important, it must take into account the sensibilities of the whole of society, Mr Sangiuliano wrote in an editorial for La Stampa newspaper on Monday.
He suggested that Christians were an easy target because they did not react to such provocations with violence, unlike “Islamist extremists in France and other European countries” if they were confronted with mockery of their religion.
“The Last Supper is one of the highest expressions of art and the representation of a Biblical event. To ridicule it is not freedom of expression but simple vulgarity,” the minister wrote.
‘Never an intention to show disrespect’
The artistic organisers had demonstrated an “infantile” desire to shock audiences, the minister said. It was “an act of submission to the worst of wokism”, he added.
Matteo Salvini, who is deputy prime minister in the Italian coalition government, also criticised the performance, describing it as “squalid”.
The organisers of the Olympics said they were sorry if anyone had been offended by the sketch.
“Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group,” Anne Descamps, a spokesman for Paris 2024, said. “If people have taken any offence, we are really sorry.”
Thomas Jolly, the artistic director of the ceremony, said the performance was about “inclusion”.
“In France, we have artistic freedom,” he said. “We are lucky in France to live in a free country.”