Viral Video Falsely Claims Christians 'Praying' in France After Olympics Opening

The original video was posted on 15 August 2022, not after the Olympics opening ceremony.

A video allegedly showing thousands of Christians praying in France after the Olympics opening ceremony has gone viral on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok. This follows widespread condemnation from Christians who criticised the Olympic opening ceremony's depiction of the Last Supper as a "mockery of Jesus Christ."

At the time of writing this report, the video has garnered over 1 million views across social media platforms.

(Archives of these claims can be found here and here)

What is the truth? The original video predates the Olympics by two years.

• It was shared by the official X account of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes on 15 August 2022.

• The caption stated, 'Beautiful and happy Feast of the Assumption to all. In union of prayer with all Catholics of the world. May the Virgin Mary shine in your hearts'. (translated from French using Google Translate)

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How did we find the truth? We conducted a reverse image search using Google Lens.

• The search revealed that the video was posted in August 2022 on multiple social media accounts.

• The video's original source was tracked to the official X account of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes.

• The video was dated 15 August 2022 and was shot at the Sanctuary of Our Lady Lourdes in Lourdes, France.

• This predates the Olympics by two years, making it impossible for the video to depict Christians praying after the opening ceremony.

Context: The Paris Olympics opening ceremony has stirred controversy over a performance featuring drag queens.

• Many critics say the ceremony resembles Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper.

• The depiction has faced significant outrage from several Christian leaders.

• In response to the backlash, the International Olympic Committee issued an apology, stating that there was no intention to disrespect any religious group.

Conclusion: Clearly, this video has been shared with a false caption following the outrage regarding the Olympics opening ceremony.

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