ReutersA severely weakened President Emmanuel Macron hopes to gain new political vitality from the ceremonial reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral on Saturday.
Joined by US President-elect Donald Trump, Prince William and other international figures, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Macron will seek to showcase the renovated church as a symbol for the internal creative power of France.
In a speech to mark the occasion, he will urge the world to look beyond the country’s current political crisis and admire the determination, organization and hard-nosed corruption that rescued one of the country’s most powerful courts. The most famous house in France after only 5 years.
The long-awaited event comes as France enters a period of deep unrest following the collapse of Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government on Wednesday. A replacement has not yet been named.
Five and a half years after the devastating fire, Macron planned to make the reopening of the cathedral an optimistic peak in 2024 – a year also marked by the Paris Olympic Games.
But while he sought to capitalize on the project’s undoubted success, the contrast between the country’s general decline and the remarkable achievement of repairing this magnificent Gothic cathedral was unavoidable. .
Getty ImagesThe ceremony marks the moment the Catholic Church retakes ownership of the church, before the first Mass celebrated on Sunday.
Archbishop Laurent Ulrich will knock on the front gate using a staff made from one of the rescued roof timbers. Answered by the choir already inside, he would enter the church and command the organ to “praise the Lord”.
Macron initially planned to hold a speech inside a church, but was informed that this would contravene France’s strict rules on secularity.
As a compromise, he visited the church eight days ago to thank hundreds of craftsmen and women – a televised tour that gave the world its first glimpse of the dramatically rejuvenated interior. amazing.
Tonight’s religious service will be followed by a concert featuring Chinese pianist Lang Lang and Canadian singer Garou.
Sunday Mass – which the president will attend – will be celebrated by Archbishop Ulrich in the presence of 170 French bishops and priests from 106 Paris parishes. The first public Mass takes place on Sunday evening, but reservations are required – as all Masses scheduled for next week are held.
Getty ImagesOne official who will not be attending is Pope Francis, although he sent a message that will be read on Saturday.
The Pope’s relationship with France is more cordial than friendly. He is said to have been angered by France’s policies to cut immigration and by Macron’s decision to enshrine the right to abortion in the constitution.
In the French press, the Pope is said to be more concerned with the young and growing Christian communities of the Southern Hemisphere than with the medieval Churches of Europe.
The fire on 15 April 2019 destroyed the medieval wooden roofs, spire and three stone arches. An appeal to donors raised 850 million euros ($897 million; £704 million) and 2,000 builders, carpenters, art restorers, engineers and architects worked for the project.
The cathedral’s chief architect Philippe Villeneuve, who opposes the popular theory that Notre-Dame almost completely collapsed.
“In addition to replacing the roof and spire, the main task was decontamination. Everything was coated with lead oxide powder. But that meant we could restore and clean – which explains why the church is today looks very nice.”
Before the fire, the church was said to be in a serious state of disrepair and scaffolding had been installed to renovate the spire and other exterior parts that were extensively damaged by corrosion.
About 12 million people a year already visit the cathedral, a number that is expected to increase. A new route around the building has been devised to accommodate the 100 visitors per minute expected to arrive at the peak of the tourist season.
