President-elect Donald J. Trump on Saturday led dozens of people around the world to the grand reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, five years after the famous Gothic cathedral was tragically destroyed by fire. He participated in the meeting along with senior officials and dignitaries.
On April 15, 2019, a fire broke out at Notre Dame Cathedral, severely damaging its medieval roof and much of its famous spire. Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of hundreds of brave firefighters and emergency services, much of the 861-year-old structure, including its two bell towers, was spared destruction.
A tourist boat stands in front of Notre-Dame Cathedral, ahead of its first official reopening since the devastating fire, on Friday, December 6, 2024, in Paris, France. Inauguration Day is still over a month away, but President Donald Trump isn't going to wait. He will be making his first trip abroad since the November election, heading to Paris for the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral. Photographer: Nathan Lane/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The tragic damage to the Catholic Church in the 12th century prompted an outpouring of support from 340,000 people around the world. donate 900 million euros for recovery efforts.
The reconstruction was completed in just five years and was a massive effort involving around 2,000 architects, artists, blacksmiths, carpenters, roofers, sculptors, and masons. French President Emmanuel Macron called the project “an extraordinary challenge” and “the construction project of the century.”
On Saturday, tens of thousands of people flooded into central Paris to attend the cathedral's reopening ceremony. The monumental event was also attended by world leaders and dignitaries, including US President-elect Donald Trump, First Lady Jill Biden, Britain's Prince William, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
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Trump announced on Monday that he would attend the ceremony, writing on Truth Social: “I am honored to announce that I will be traveling to Paris, France on Saturday to attend the reopening of the magnificent and historic Notre Dame Cathedral, fully restored after a devastating fire five years ago.” I did.
“President Emmanuel Macron has done a great job in restoring Notre Dame to its full glory. It will be a very special day for everyone!”
Ahead of the reopening, the president-elect visited the Elysée Palace and met with President Macron during his first overseas trip since winning the November election. According to to le figarothe president-elect was “grandly received at the Presidential Palace by members of the Republican Guard.” Volodymyr Zelensky also attended the palace meeting, marking the first post-election meeting between President Trump and a Ukrainian leader.
Zelensky explained Trump and Macron's meeting was “good and productive,” he said. “President Trump is as resolute as ever, and I thank him for that.” We want the war to end as soon as possible and in a fair manner.” We talked about our people, the situation on the ground, and just peace. ”
“We have agreed to continue to cooperate and stay in touch. Peace through force is possible,” Zelenskiy said.
BBC too reported President Trump is scheduled to meet with Prince William, heir to the British throne, in Paris to discuss the importance of the “special relationship” between the United States and Britain. This is the first meeting between the two men since 2019, when President Trump was on an official visit to the UK.
The ceremony will be led by Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich, who will symbolically open the ornate wooden doors of Notre Dame Cathedral, which thankfully escaped the fire, to the public. Archbishop Ulrich will also preside at the inaugural Mass on Sunday and consecrate the church's newly designed altar.
The evening will also celebrate the symbolic “awakening” of Notre Dame Cathedral's famous organ. The 8,000-pipe instrument became clogged with toxic dust during a fire and has since been painstakingly restored to its former glory. In addition to singing hymns, the ceremony will feature performances by world-renowned musicians, including cellist Yo-Yo Ma, pianist Lang Lang, and soprano Pretty Yende.
“May the restoration of Notre Dame be a prophetic sign of the rebirth of the Church in France,” Pope Francis said in a message read by a Vatican representative at the church on Saturday.
The photo shows a television cameraman inside Notre Dame Cathedral on December 7, 2024 in Paris, ahead of its official reopening ceremony after more than five years of reconstruction work following a fire in April 2019. Notre Dame Cathedral is a historic landmark that will reopen in early December 2024, with a ceremony taking place over the weekend on December 7 and 8, 2024, five years after the 2019 fires that devastated the world. destroyed and toppled its spire. Around 250 companies and hundreds of experts were involved in the five-year restoration work, which cost hundreds of millions of euros. (Photo by Ludovic Marin/Pool/AFP) (Photo by Ludovic Marin/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump will be given the top position at the ceremony. sitting Directly between President Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron. First lady Jill Biden, who traveled to Paris without President Joe Biden, was given a seat next to Macron.
In a speech from the cathedral, President Macron declared: “Tonight, the bells of Notre Dame tolled again…Every help, every gesture was needed. We rediscovered what a great nation is capable of: achieving the impossible.”
“Long live Notre Dame de Paris, long live the Republic, and long live France,” he declared.
The ceremony was a brief respite for Macron from the political turmoil swirling in Paris and growing calls for him to resign, which collapsed this week following a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Michel Barnier, and which collapsed earlier this year. This is the second Macron government to oust a prime minister since 1962, and the first time since 1962 that the National Assembly has expelled a prime minister.
Macron, who is prohibited by the constitution from holding new parliamentary elections, has few options. The president has vowed to remain in office until the end of his term, meaning a replacement for Mr Barnier will need to be found. It is unclear who will take on such a role and, more importantly, who will be able to manage a deeply divided Congress to pass a much-needed budget as the country faces a growing debt crisis. It is.
