After five years of intense reconstruction efforts, a grand reopening ceremony will be held on Saturday to mark the return of the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral before its doors open to the public once again on Sunday. The historic event comes after a devastating fire damaged the UNESCO world heritage site. Follow our liveblog to see how the day’s events unfold.
EU’s Ursula von der Leyen does not plan to attend Notre-Dame reopening, commission says
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is not planning to attend the re-opening celebrations of Paris’s Notre-Dame cathedral on Saturday, her office said on Friday, amid tensions surrounding a trade deal with Latin American countries.
The EU’s top executive and her Mercosur counterparts on Friday heralded the deal after 25 years of talks during a press conference in Montevideo, while France’s government, under pressure from angry farmers, repeatedly stated the deal was ‘unacceptable’.
EU spokespeople on Thursday had said she was planning to make the trip to Paris.
Meeting between Trump and Zelensky in Paris is ‘possible’, Ukraine official tells AFP
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US president-elect Donald Trump could meet in Paris, where both leaders are expected to attend the re-opening of Notre Dame cathedral this weekend, a Ukrainian official told AFP Friday.
“The President of Ukraine will attend the celebrations on the occasion of the restoration of the cathedral of Notre Dame. He’ll meet with President (Emmanuel) Macron. Other meetings are also possible, in particular with president-elect Donald Trump, who will also attend the event,” a source in the Ukrainian government said.
French diplomatic sources confirmed that Zelensky is expected to attend.
UK’s Prince William to attend Notre Dame cathedral reopening
The UK’s Prince William will attend Saturday’s re-opening of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, Kensington Palace said on Friday, later telling AFP that his wife, Catherine, would not accompany him.
“The Prince of Wales will travel to Paris tomorrow to attend the ceremony marking the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral,” the palace said in a statement, adding that he was making the trip “at the request of the” government.
Hello and welcome to our liveblog on the grand reopening of the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral.
The reopening this weekend of the Notre-Dame Cathedral will include a succession of ceremonies to breathe life back into the iconic cathedral and celebrate the recovery from its devastating fire in 2019.
High points will be the ritualised reopening of the cathedral’s massive doors, the reawakening of its thunderous organ and the celebration of the first Mass. For both France and the Catholic Church, the televised and tightly scripted ceremonies will be an opportunity to display can-do resilience and global influence.
Saturday’s proceedings are set to begin at 7pm local time with French President Emmanuel Macron due to deliver a speech from a tented area in front of the cathedral, which was devastated by a 2019 fire that destroyed its roof and spire.
Paris archbishop Laurent Ulrich will then lead the first full service inside Notre-Dame, symbolically reviving its refurbished 8,000-pipe organ and leading prayers and hymns under the new vaulted wooden roof of the 850-year-old Gothic monument.
Read moreForeign artisans rolled up their sleeves to help rebuild France’s Notre-Dame Cathedral
The evening will wrap up with a televised concert featuring music by Chinese pianist Lang Lang, South African opera singer Pretty Yende and possibly US singer and fashion designer Pharrell Williams who is widely rumoured to perform.
Britain’s Prince William and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have joined a growing VIP guest list for the reopening ceremony on Saturday, which includes US president-elect Donald Trump.
On Sunday, the first mass with 170 bishops and more than 100 Paris priests will take place at 10:30am local time, followed by a second service in the evening at 6:30pm which will be open to the public and be attended by Macron.
Around 2,500 tickets for the public mass were reserved within a few hours when they were made available on Tuesday via the cathedral’s phone app.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP, Reuters)
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