Notre Dame Cathedral Reopens After Restoration With World Leaders in Attendance
Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France, was formally reopened at a ceremony on the evening of December 7, more than five years after the fire of April 15, 2019 destroyed its roof and spire. Following the restoration, the Gothic cathedral opened its doors to the world again.
Paris archbishop Laurent Ulrich struck the cathedral's doors three times with a pastoral staff made from one of the roof beams burned in the fire, the doors opened, and the cathedral's bells rang again. About 1,500 guests attended, including some 40 heads of state and government. U.S. president-elect Donald Trump, U.S. first lady Jill Biden, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Britain's Prince William were among those present, along with 170 bishops.
French president Emmanuel Macron told the ceremony that he stood before the gathering to express the gratitude of the French nation to all those who had saved, helped and rebuilt the cathedral, and said France could together share joy and pride. In the concert that followed, Gustavo Dudamel conducted the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, with performers including pianists Lang Lang and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
In a message to the Archbishop of Paris, Pope Francis wrote that the terrible fire five years earlier had risked the disappearance of a masterpiece of Christian faith and architecture, and that today sadness and mourning had given way to joy, celebration and praise; he called the cathedral's rebirth a prophetic sign of the renewal of the Church in France. On the morning of December 8, the cathedral celebrated a Mass consecrating its new main altar. (Source: Holy See Press Office)
Source: Holy See Press Office
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：2024年12月7日，法国总统马克龙在修复后的巴黎圣母院重新开放仪式上致辞，多国元首与嘉宾就座。白宫官方摄影师 Erin Scott 摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: French President Emmanuel Macron delivers remarks inside the restored Notre Dame Cathedral at its reopening ceremony on December 7, 2024, with heads of state and guests seated. Official White House photo by Erin Scott, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
