Saturday, June 01, 2024

Notre-Dame reopening: Tensions between Macron and archbishop

Six months before the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral on 7 December, tensions are growing between the Archbishop of Paris and French President Emmanuel Macron. 

According to a report in the newspaper "La Depeche" on Monday, the reason for this is the conditions of the ceremony, on which no agreement has yet been reached. 

As the state has owned the cathedral since the 1905 law on the separation of church and state, the president wants to symbolically hand over the keys to the cathedral to the clergy, which Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich opposes. 

This is not necessary, as there has never been a breach of contract.

Another point of contention between the two parties is the president's speech, according to the newspaper. Macron wants to give this speech inside the cathedral, which Ulrich also protests against. 

The latter would prefer to have the head of state speak on the forecourt of the cathedral. 

However, both sides agree on the choice of communications agency to present the major reopening project to the public.

A major fire broke out on the roof of Notre-Dame on 15 April 2019 during renovation work. 

At the time, the head of state promised to rebuild the destroyed parts of the cathedral within five years. 

The cathedral was severely damaged by the fire. 

President Macron's goal of reopening the cathedral on the fifth anniversary of the fire could not quite be met, but is scheduled to take place on 7 December.