The Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich is to preside over Christmas Day mass at Notre-Dame de Paris on Wednesday morning, celebrating for the first time since the fire devastated the cathedral in 2019
In addition to this celebration scheduled for 11:00 a.m. (10:00 a.m. GMT) and broadcast on France 2, two other services are planned in the cathedral, at 8:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Access to Notre-Dame remains subject to a strict limit of 2,700 people, while demand to enter the building that has been glorified in many films, novels and musicals remains strong.
On Tuesday, Christmas Eve, the cathedral attracted many faithful for several services, in particular the traditional Midnight Mass.
“Joy in heaven, peace on earth, Merry Christmas to all of you who are here in this cathedral to celebrate the feast of Christmas,” Bishop Ulrich said to the Catholics gathered for mass in the 12th century Gothic masterpiece.
He had earlier paid tribute to the “talents deployed on the restoration site” which allowed “the pain of the fire and the five years of separation to be erased to leave only the joy of reunion, the joy of living together again in this common house, the house of God”.
This was the first time since the fire devastated the cathedral on April 15, 2019 that it had hosted these Nativity masses celebrating, for Christians, the birth of Jesus.
‘Feeling of hope, of joy’
Marie-Christine Bascourret, a retiree dressed all in red, was able to attend the 4:00 pm mass on Tuesday. She told AFP that she found it “magnificent”. She decided to go at 2:00 pm and waited in line for an hour: “It gave me heart,” she said.
“It’s a special tradition. I came to mass here every year for ten years before the fire,” explained Daniel James, a 46-year-old American who lives in Seattle. “I’m so happy to come back, it’s so magical and special, it’s a feeling of hope, of joy.”
“Since 8:00 am this morning (Tuesday), the line has been continuous”, said Valentin Lacroix, who was in charge of controlling entry. By 3:00 p.m., a hundred people were waiting on the forecourt: families, couples, from Paris, the provinces and even from abroad.
The diocese of Paris stipulates that no reservations are possible for Christmas masses with access to the cathedral “subject to availability”.
The Notre-Dame website therefore advises arriving 30 minutes before the time of the celebrations, “keeping in mind that the queues can be long, with a risk of not being able to access the cathedral”.
Florence Kergorrou, a Parisian, was surprised on Tuesday that the queue was moving so quickly to enter the cathedral. She said she had come to “associate the mass with the monument”.
After five years of extensive work, Notre-Dame de Paris reopened on December 7, with a ceremony attended by many well-known faces, including US President-elect Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
For Catholics, this Christmas also marks the beginning of the Catholic church’s 2025 Jubilee or “Holy Year” – launched by Pope Francis on Christmas Eve from the Vatican. -thelocal.fr
VIDEO – The Economic Times – Photo: PBS News
