Paris Olympics are Behind the Curve on DEI
OMIUSA JPIC

(Editor’s Note: Fr. Seamus P. Finn, OMI, Director of USA JPIC and OIP shares a letter he received from the president of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation reflecting on some controversial elements in the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics)
DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) has been an important part of the ICCR (Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility) mission in recent years. It has been indeed engaging to read to different responses to the opening search ceremony at the Olympics. I like Brian Grim’s reflection included below
I have given two presentations at the religious forum that seeks to bring the values and a religious message to the G20 meetings in recent years. They continue to labor in what some would say is a very secular and unreceptive audience, but they persist, and I like the direction They are leading us
-Seamus P. Finn, OMI

Paris Olympics are Behind the Curve on DEI

Including religion as a core part of DEI is the trend
Dear Seamus Finn,
A performance during the Opening Ceremony for the 2024 Paris Olympics triggered a backlash as many saw a sketch meant to promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as being offensive and biased. Many took the sketch to be a parody of the Last Supper of Christ, which organizers denied being the intent.
Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps apologized on Sunday for those offended by the scene. “Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. On the contrary, I think (with) Thomas Jolly [the ceremony’s artistic director], we really did try to celebrate community tolerance,” Descamps said. “… If people have taken any offense, we are, of course, really, really sorry.”
Jolly said that religious subversion had never been his intention. “We wanted to talk about diversity. Diversity means being together. We wanted to include everyone, as simple as that.”
However, rather than being avant-garde and inclusive, the Olympic organizers appear to be behind the curve when it comes to DEI — what they purportedly were trying to promote. The latest data show a significant surge in Fortune 500 companies including religion as part of their DEI initiatives, which helps them avoid such offensive and COSTLY mistakes (one Olympic sponsor has already withdrawn in reaction to the sketch).
Indeed, the world’s biggest companies are embracing religiously inclusive workplaces at a faster pace than ever before, according to the 2024 Corporate Religious Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (REDI) Index and Monitor, which we released in May. The REDI report finds that 429 (85.8%) Fortune 500 companies now mention or illustrate religion as part of their broader commitment to diversity, more than double the number in 2022 (202 companies, or 40.4%). According to the REDI Index, Accenture and American Airlines are the most faith-friendly Global Fortune 500 companies.
Perhaps the Olympic organizers have some things to learn from companies that are getting DEI right.

Launching Latin America Faith@Work Network @G20 🌎
As the movement to include religion as part of DEI spreads globally, on 22nd August in tandem with the G20 Interfaith Forum in Brasilia, Brazil, we will launch the Latin America Faith@Work Network. Representatives of businesses throughout Latin America are invited to join virtually or in person the launch of this network on August 22. Additional details forthcoming to registrants.
Also, if you have business colleagues in India, I’ll be there 5-14 August preparing for our December 2024 Dare to Overcome conference in New Delhi.
All the very best,
Brian
Brian Grim, Ph.D.
President, Religious Freedom & Business Foundation
Global Chair, Dare to Overcome