The inauguration of Notre Dame Cathedral, rebuilt after a fire five years ago, began Saturday night in Paris. The ceremony began with Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich knocking on the main gate of the cathedral accompanied by a priest. The response to his gesture was the singing of a psalm by the Maîtrise Notre-Dame Cathedral choir.
This song was a symbolic “response'' of the temple, which remained silent after the fire, to the archbishop's call. At the third knock and the third singing of the psalm, the gate opened. After making a blessing gesture, the archbishop crossed the threshold of the cathedral carrying the sign of the cross. Official guests, including representatives from dozens of countries and international organizations, had already gathered inside the building.
See also: Notre Dame Cathedral opens again. Here's what her “new” interior looks like
The President of France and his wife Brigitte welcomed everyone at the entrance. President Andrzej Duda and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy also appeared. The president of Poland was among the leaders who arrived within the first 15 minutes. There was a brief exchange of words with the French president and his wife, and a photo was taken together.
Opening of Notre Dame Cathedral. President Macron expressed his gratitude to the firefighters.
Those entering gathered at the baptismal table. It is one of the modern liturgical facilities added to the renovated temple. The frames of the film remind us of the moment of the fire on April 15, 2019.
Due to the downpour and strong winds, some celebrations scheduled to take place outside the cathedral were moved indoors. As the firefighters who rescued the temple passed through the main hall, there was a storm of applause. Then a huge illuminated inscription appeared on the facade of Notre Dame Cathedral: “MERCI” (French for “thank you”).
PAP/EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON Firefighters who saved Notre Dame from fire appear at cathedral
After a music break, President Emmanuel Macron gave a speech. He emphasized “the gratitude of the French people” to those who saved and rebuilt the temple. In his opinion, what saved her was “courage and courage” and “brotherhood” that came from other continents and different religions. He thought of the re-ringing of the bells of Notre Dame as “music of hope.”
PAP/EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON President Emmanuel Macron speaks at the temple
Jill Biden arrives on behalf of the President of the United States
In addition to Donald Trump, outgoing President Joe Biden's wife Jill Biden also arrived from the United States. The monarchs of Belgium, Luxembourg, Monaco and Norway will also be in attendance, as well as the presidents of Germany and Italy, Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Sergio Mattarella. As announced, Bulgaria, Croatia and Greece will be represented by Rumen Radev, Zoran Milanović and Ekaterini Sakieraropoulou, respectively.
PAP/EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON Notre Dame Cathedral opens five years after fire
See: Reconstruction of Notre Dame Cathedral. 853 million euros has been raised, but details of the project have not yet been revealed
Estonian President Aral Kallis, Finnish President Alexander Stubbe, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Austrian Prime Minister Karl Nehammer also appeared. The next guests were Presidents Salome Zurabishvili and Vijosa Osmani of Georgia and Kosovo, as well as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian of Armenia and Prime Minister Miloš Vucevic of Serbia.
Donald Trump in Paris. Meeting between Mr. Macron and Mr. Zelensky
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump arrived on the 19th just before the final minute. He greeted the present guests inside the cathedral. Television footage showed him shaking hands with leaders including Presidents Duda and Zelenskiy and Britain's Prince William.
Prior to this, Mr. Trump, Mr. Zelensky and Mr. Macron held a tripartite meeting at the Elysée Palace. Information that the conference would be held was provided shortly before it began. You can read more about this here.
Your browser does not support video players… Read more
Source link
