Lots of guests… and many absentees. Several foreign leaders were invited by Emmanuel Macron to come and attend the inauguration ceremony of Notre-Dame de Paris, planned with great fanfare for the weekend of December 7 and 8, in the hope of making it an event planetary. The French president has elevated this meeting to the rank of “French pride” with the successful Olympic Games last summer.
Expected until this Friday afternoon, Donald Trump, recently re-elected as president of the United States and who will take office on January 20, will ultimately not be there, indicates a source close to the matter to Le Parisien. Jill Biden, current American First Lady, should however be present in front of the cathedral, according to our information.
Among the distinguished guests, many others declined. According to this same source, King Charles III and the King of Spain Felipe VI will also be absent from the ceremony, as will Pope Francis who preferred to go to Corsica a week later rather than to Paris. On this last point, faced with the astonishment that this program may arouse, several French bishops have highlighted Francis' attachment to the “peripheries” and his calendar constraints.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Greek President Ekateríni Sakellaropoúlou responded favorably to the Head of State's invitation.
Guests present on the evening of December 7 will have the opportunity to attend the reopening concert which will be held on the square in front of the cathedral, shortly after 9 p.m. The Venezuelan maestro Gustavo Dudamel, the Chinese virtuoso pianist Lang Lang or the French tenor -Switzerland Benjamin Bernheim will be the headliners of the event, as we exclusively announced to you.
A more pop touch will be brought by Clara Luciani, Vianney and Garou, three very popular artists in France. Also on the program: Franco-Beninese Angélique Kidjo, Lebanese singer Hiba Tawajin and DJ Michaël Canitrot.
On April 15, 2019, a gigantic fire ravaged the cathedral, a symbol of Christianity listed as a UNESCO world heritage site which welcomed 12 million visitors each year. It caused the collapse of its spire and the partial collapse of its roof. Five years after the fire, the restoration project is coming to an end.
The accident, the causes of which have not yet been determined, caused global emotion and caused an influx of donations to rebuild the building located in the heart of Paris, which was among the most visited monuments in Europe.
