Prominent guests
Paris: Guests of honor arrive, worries about storms
One of Paris' most famous landmarks, Notre-Dame Cathedral, was reopened with a festive ceremony on Saturday evening. The security precautions in terror-stricken France were enormous. Among the guests of honor in the cathedral were prominent figures from politics, business and society, while the onlookers outside braved the less than festive weather.
The weather service Météo-France had forecast thunderstorms and heavy gusts of wind of up to 80 kilometers per hour for Saturday evening. The opening ceremony was therefore moved inside the church at short notice. Although the squalls were not quite as violent, the onlookers braved the rain while the Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, tapped the main portal three times with his crosier in accordance with the Catholic rite. The choir of Notre-Dame responded by singing a psalm and the dignitaries entered the church through the main door.
2000 invited guests and many celebrities
Around 2000 invited guests had already taken their seats in the cathedral itself. These included 40 heads of state and government as well as numerous celebrities from show business, business and society. The richest man in the world, Bernard Arnault, head of the luxury group LVMH, which includes Louis Vuitton, the champagne manufacturer Moët & Chandon and the beer brand Guinness, reportedly donated around 200 million euros for the renovation of the cathedral.
The guests of honor also included French multi-billionaire François-Henri Pinault with his wife Salma Hayek, the British heir to the throne Prince William, Prince Albert of Monaco, former US First Lady Jill Biden, Donald Trump, Tesla boss Elon Musk and top French and international politicians. Austria's Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer also attended the opening ceremony with his wife Katharina.
Macron thanked helpers and emergency services
The opening of Notre-Dame began as planned at around 7 pm. After a film in honor of the firefighters and craftsmen, President Emmanuel Macron gave a speech.
He said that the restoration of the church within five years had shown what France was capable of. "We have rediscovered what great nations are capable of: achieving the impossible," he said. "This cathedral is a happy symbol of what a nation can be and what the world should be."
Macron thanked all those who had contributed to the restoration of the cathedral: "I would like to thank them for France before we return the cathedral to its religious purpose, the Catholics, Paris and the whole world."
Firefighters who saved Notre-Dame from the flames in 2019 and craftsmen involved in the reconstruction of the church received minutes of applause at the ceremony. A huge "Merci" (thank you) was projected onto the west façade of the cathedral.
Pope paid tribute to reopening
Pope Francis also expressed his delight at the reopening of the cathedral. He also thanked everyone involved in the restoration of the church. The Holy Father hopes "that the rebirth of this wonderful church will become a sign of the renewal of the Church in France", explained the Pope in a message read out in the church.
The Pope reaffirmed the position of the Paris diocese, which had insisted that entry to the cathedral remain free. "Its doors will be wide open," wrote Francis. He said he trusted that the Archbishop of Paris would "welcome everyone with open arms and free of charge, like brothers and sisters".
Enormous security precautions
The security precautions around Notre-Dame were enormous on the day of the reopening. Access to the surrounding streets and squares was closed - anyone who wanted to watch the opening ceremony had to pass through security checks. Police and military patrolled the area around the cathedral, as fears of attacks in terror-stricken France are high.
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