Three years after the fire of Notre-Dame de Paris, a meditation was celebrated Friday on the forecourt, an important moment for the faithful, because it was the first time since 2019 that the liturgy was offered so close to the building. .
This jewel of Gothic art was partially ravaged by a gigantic fire on April 15, 2019. This caused the collapse of its frame, its famous spire, its clock and part of its vault, under the dumbfounded gaze of millions of people around the world. The cathedral has since been closed to visitors, with a reopening after works scheduled for 2024.
On this Good Friday for Christians, in front of a few dozen faithful and under the gaze of tourists, the two religious who officiated read texts by Charles de Foucauld (a French religious who is to be canonized in Rome in May), accompanied by songs from the choir of Notre-Dame de Paris.
The administrator of the diocese, Mgr Georges Pontier, underlined that he was living this Good Friday “in a special way, thinking that this April 15 was a day of tragedy for our cathedral three years ago”.
“We do this while also thinking of all those who are bruised, in their body, in their flesh […] We think particularly of those who are victims of the war, and especially in Ukraine so close to us,” he added.
“It was very strong, a moment of wonder,” Michèle Guerrin, an 81-year-old faithful, told AFP.
Shortly before, the two churchmen, wearing construction helmets and accompanied by a cantor, had prayed briefly inside the cathedral, in the middle of the scaffolding.
In the afternoon, French President Emmanuel Macron inspected the site, stressing that it represented a “testimony of hope” and congratulating “those who spend their days and nights” renovating the building. .
“We are on Good Friday, it happens that this religious holiday also corresponds – it is quite rare – to Passover for our compatriots of the Jewish faith and to Ramadan for our compatriots of the Muslim religion,” he noted.
While he will face the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen on April 24, he underlined that he was “president of a secular Republic”, but noted “a kind of synchronism”.
During this visit of nearly two hours, the president, accompanied by his wife, exchanged with companions from the companies participating in the site, in particular stonemasons. “I think there is extraordinary progress,” he said.
He reaffirmed that the objective of returning the cathedral in five years would be met, i.e. in 2024, “which does not exclude that certain works may continue after the reopening”, specified his entourage.
The monument must be returned to worship on April 16, 2024.
Before the fire, the cathedral hosted nearly 12 million visitors, 2,400 services and 150 concerts per year.