Notre-Dame de Paris fire. Mons. Chauvet (rector), “the cathedral’s soul has not been destroyed”

It is hoped that soon, once the building is secured, the Holy Mass celebration will be resumed. Indeed, Notre-Dame is a world artistic heritage site, “a place that, by virtue of its history, touches the heart of the world.” But it is also “a church built to serve as a church”, and despite being wounded, it still remains the “Cathedral of Paris.” Six months after the fire that devastated Notre-Dame, the Archdiocese of Paris organized a press conference to take stock of the situation and the donations received so far, and especially to reiterate the request to reopen a part of the churchyard to install a replica of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that would allow pilgrims to gather in prayer.

“Let us rebuild this cathedral together in five years”, promised President Emmanuel Macron on the evening of April 15. Everyone – shocked by the flames that devoured the spire and overwhelmed by global expressions of solidarity – had believed it. But the works turned out to be more complicated than expected and the time needed to complete the repair works extended dramatically. There are two basic reasons for the slowdown: securing the construction site and red tape. For example, the Prefecture of Paris ordered the works to be stopped in July because of lead fumes from the melted spire. While no alarming levels were observed, Notre-Dame’s repair works resumed only a month later, but safety measures were tightened considerably. Builders claimed that because of the masks, gloves, protective suits and mandatory showers outside the “contaminated area”, 8 working hours effectively became 3.½ hours. “Obviously – said Msgr. Benoit de Sinety, vicar general of the archdiocese – employment regulations and laws must be applied.” What is most worrying, however, is the “discouragement” of those who are working on the ground. “They are doing an extraordinary job.” “Hopefully they will continue to work with the same enthusiasm.”

“When you see a Cathedral like Notre-Dame on fire, you are overcome by a shock, I would say a spiritual shock,” said Msgr. Patrick Chauvet, rector of Notre-Dame. “The cathedral is in the hearts of the Parisians, of the people of France, extending beyond our national borders. I did not expect so much generosity and affection. The affective dimension was expressed by so many people who at the sight of the cathedral on fire, broke into tears. Christians and non-Christians were crying in front of this building that they loved and that was in danger of disappearing forever.

Thus there exists a ‘spirit of the Cathedral’, a soul that has not been destroyed.”

Bureaucracy. The archdiocese explained that for almost 100 years the cathedral of Paris was owned by the State. On 16 July the French Parliament passed a law which not only defined the guidelines of the project ( with due regard for the historical, artistic and architectural features”), but also created an agency with extensive powers, responsible for coordinating and managing the entire operation. The Agency receives all the funds collected at national and international level. Monsignor Benoit de Sinety is on the board of directors representing the Archbishop of Paris. During the meeting with journalists, the archdiocese obviously reported on the funds raised so far by the Notre-Dame Foundation that to date – said Christophe Rousselot, general delegate – amount to a total of 37 million Euros donated by 47,000 people from 109 world countries.

To this sum must be added the pledged and recently “substantiated” donations of “leading entrepreneurs” such as François and François-Henri Pinault who on 30 September last fulfilled the promise of EUR 100 million and of Bernard Arnault, who donated EUR 200 million on behalf of his family and company.

The payments of these large donations will extend for several years, that is, throughout the restoration works at the request of the Foundation on a case-by-case basis. During the press conference the archdiocese called on all children to join the project “Draw Notre-Dame”. The winners will be selected by 1 March and the chosen drawings will be printed on the tarpaulins surrounding the Notre-Dame work-site. Nobody ventures to set a definite deadline. The archdiocese, however, knows that the final objective of all efforts must be “to restore the building to its former status as a place of worship as soon as possible”, said Philippe Villeneuve, the architect commissioned by the cathedral: “It’s its prime vocation.”