PARIS: Newly restored Notre Dame Cathedral held its first mass on Sunday, with Christians celebrating the return of the French capital’s most famous place of worship after a historic re-opening ceremony. The beloved Paris monument nearly burned down in 2019, but has been fully renovated inside and fitted with a new roof and spire during a frenzied five-year refit. The inaugural mass was led by Paris archbishop Laurent Ulrich with 150 bishops and more than 100 priests from the capital in attendance, as well as French President Emmanuel Macron.

The archbishop led prayers and consecrated a new altar which replaced the old one that was destroyed five years ago. “Whether you are here in person in the cathedral or in front of a screen, including perhaps under the rain, I greet you with intense emotion,” Ulrich told the congregation, referring to the small rain-drenched crowds outside watching events on public screens. In a nod to France’s ongoing political turmoil, he added that he “prayed also for our country that is looking to the future with worry.” A second mass in the evening at 6:30 pm will be open to the public, with roughly 2,500 people who secured free tickets this week expected to attend. The cathedral will open fully to visitors on December 16 via an online reservation system.

‘For Jesus’

During a re-opening service on Saturday attended by world leaders including US President-elect Donald Trump, Macron expressed the “gratitude of the French nation” for the restoration work since 2019. “We have rediscovered what great nations can do—achieve the impossible,” he said. Macron is under intense political pressure having called snap elections in June that led to a hung parliament, with the main parties now struggling to form a stable government.

One of the most moving moments on Saturday came when firefighters in their protective gear walked through the congregation to thunderous applause as the word “Merci” (“Thank you”) was beamed on the intricate facade and famous belltowers of the Gothic masterpiece. The architectural wonder had been in danger of collapsing during the April 2019 blaze and was saved only by firefighters pumping vast quantities of water onto the flames from the nearby River Seine.

Groups of worshippers huddled under umbrellas on Sunday beyond a strict security perimeter set up outside Notre Dame. “Beyond the reconstruction work, it’s beautiful because it shows that the church still has a role, discreet and small, but it still has a role to play in France,” 21-year-old engineering student Jacques told AFP. Monique Kashale, a 75-year-old from the Democratic Republic of Congo, said she was “very cold but for Jesus Christ I can put up with it, for the Virgin Mary it is bearable.”

Trump in Paris

Saturday’s re-opening service began with the archbishop Ulrich, dressed in brightly colored new vestments designed by fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, knocking on the doors of the cathedral three times. Trump was placed on the front row as guest of honor next to Macron, with invitees marveling at the freshly cleaned walls, new furniture and state-of-the-art lighting installed as part of the overhaul. The reconstruction effort cost around 700 million euros ($750 million), financed from donations, with the five-year re-opening deadline met despite predictions it could take decades.

Part of the cathedral’s lead roofing base still needs to be finished and the statues of the apostles and saints, removed before the fire to allow for their restoration, will only be reinstalled in the first half of 2025. The exact cause of the 2019 blaze has never been identified despite a forensic investigation by prosecutors, who believe an accident such as an electrical fault was the most likely reason. Notre Dame welcomed around 12 million visitors a year before the fire, but expects to receive an even higher figure of “14 to 15 million” after the reopening, according to the church authorities.

Meanwhile, US president-elect Donald Trump Saturday met the UK’s Prince William on the sidelines of the reopening of Notre Dame in Paris, hailing the heir to the British throne as a “good man” who was doing a “fantastic job”. The elder son of King Charles III attended the reopening of the cathedral, restored after a 2019 fire, on behalf of the UK. The Prince of Wales was among some 40 heads of state and government in the French capital for the ceremony on Saturday.

The last time William met Trump was in 2019, when the then-US president was on a state visit to the UK. “A good man, this one!” Trump told reporters, gesturing to William as they met in Paris at the residence of the UK ambassador to France after the ceremony. 

“He’s doing a fantastic job,” he added as William laughed. The prince’s last official trip to Paris was in 2017, when he visited with his wife, Princess Catherine, for a two-day trip in the aftermath of the Brexit result. 

He was not accompanied this time by Kate, who has been gradually resuming public duties after being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. King Charles III is currently undergoing cancer treatment. William joined his father and other heads of state in Normandy for D-Day commemorations earlier this year, which were also attended by Jill Biden, wife of US President Joe Biden. - AFP