World leaders gather for the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris Politics News

French President Emmanuel Macron thanks everyone who “saved, helped and rebuilt” the beloved cathedral after the devastating 2019 fire.

World leaders have gathered in the French capital for the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral, five years after the UNESCO World Heritage site was badly damaged by a fire that sparked widespread support around the world.

Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich ceremoniously opened the doors of Notre-Dame on Saturday evening at the start of a ceremony attended by French President Emmanuel Macron and other heads of state from around the world.

Among the many world leaders in attendance were Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who made his first foreign trip since winning the U.S. election last month.

“Tonight I stand before you … to express the gratitude of the French nation – thanks to everyone who saved, helped and rebuilt Notre-Dame,” Macron said during the ceremony.

“Tonight the bells of Notre Dame will ring again.”

Nous y somemmes.
We rejoice in the world.
Allons réouvrir Notre-Dame!

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) December 7, 2024

(Translation: “Here we are. The world is watching us. Let’s reopen Notre-Dame!”)

The 2019 fire brought the popular 12th-century Gothic cathedral close to collapse as flames engulfed Notre-Dame, sending huge plumes of smoke into the skies over Paris. Hundreds of firefighters were deployed to put out the fire.

After the fire, nearly $1 billion in donations poured in from around the world to help rebuild.

The cathedral has been carefully restored, with a new tower and ribbed vaults, its buttresses and carved stone gargoyles restored to their former glory, and white stone and gold decorations shining brightly again.

French firefighters who helped fight the blaze received a standing ovation at Saturday’s reopening ceremony. The word “merci” – French for “thank you” – was also illuminated on the front of the building.

Paris nurse Pascal Tordeux, who has a tattoo depicting the cathedral on his arm, told Reuters that Notre-Dame “means everything.”

“I saw the construction every day from my window, the tower being brought down and brought back,” said Tordeux, who lives across the river from the cathedral. “I saw it burn, I saw it rise again. I followed it day by day.”

The reopening comes as Macron faces a political crisis at home after parliament forced his prime minister out of office earlier this week.

Reporting from outside Notre-Dame on Saturday evening, Al Jazeera’s Natacha Butler said the French president – who has promised to rebuild the cathedral in five years – was hoping to distract from this political uncertainty.

“We also saw that Macron used this as a kind of opportunity for a bit of last-minute diplomacy,” Butler explained. Macron held talks with Zelensky and Trump at the Elysee Palace before the ceremony.

“It happened behind closed doors, but no doubt Macron will be quite pleased that he managed to bring these two things together before Trump takes office in January,” Butler added.

Observers have expressed concerns that Trump – who has questioned continued US support for Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in 2022 – could end Washington’s support for Kiev once he takes office.

In a post on X, the Ukrainian president described Saturday’s meeting with Macron and Trump as “good and productive.”

“We all want this war to end as quickly as possible and in a just manner. We talked about our people, the situation on the ground and a just peace,” Zelensky wrote. “We agreed to continue to work together and stay in touch. Peace through strength is possible.”

I had a good and productive trilateral meeting with the President @realDonaldTrump and president @EmmanuelMacron in the Élysée Palace.

President Trump is, as always, determined. I thank him. I would also like to thank Emmanuel for organizing this important meeting.

We all want… pic.twitter.com/eKMtuhp2ZI

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володиmir Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 7, 2024