The first Mass at Notre Dame de Paris two months after the fire

This Saturday, a Mbad was celebrated to commemorate the consecration of the altar in the chapel, just behind the choir. About thirty people were present, all with a helmet. Bishop Aupetit, Archbishop of Paris, celebrated Mbad in the chapel of the Virgin who housed the crown of thorns, one of the treasures of the cathedral, saved from the flames the night of the disaster.

The diocese had warned that "there could be no faithful on the inside" for obvious security reasons. However, the Catholic channel KTO broadcast live Mbad so that "Christians can participate and receive Holy Communion". The date of this mbad was chosen in connection with the dedication festival which commemorates the consecration of the altar of the cathedral.

Since the fire, between 60 and 150 workers are working on the site to evacuate the rubble and stabilize the structure. The monument is still in the consolidation phase.

Donations and reconstruction

Until now, only 9% of the donations pledged for the reconstruction of the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral were paid according to France Info on Friday, June 14th. This represents about 80 million of the 850 million euros originally pledged during a big wave of national generosity after the terrible fire that devastated part of the building, on the night of April 15 to 16.

Sent by check or transfer, the donations already paid come mainly from individuals. Major patrons (such as the Arnault family and their LVMH group who promised 200 million euros or the Pinault family who promised 100 million euros) will donate "little by little, depending on the estimate of the reconstruction". In fact, they prefer to grow their own money and not the state …

Other donations will simply not be confirmed. Indeed, some municipalities or individuals have announced that they renounce their payments because of the success of the restoration campaign of the monument in Paris. Others have written that they will donate only if the cathedral is restored as it was.

Macron wants the cathedral to be restored in 2024

Presented in the National Assembly on Friday, May 10, the text of the government establishes exceptions to the town planning rules to comply with the schedule of Emmanuel Macron. "The builders of cathedrals are working for eternity, who are we to accelerate the renewal of Notre-Dame and we deviate from the rules of urban planning?", Regretted the MP Brigitte Kuster. "This is not by imposing an agenda" based on "the 2024 Paris Olympics" that "we will be faithful" to Notre Dame, attacked MP Alexis Corbiere of France insatiated. Communist Marie-George Buffet has expressed concern that these "exceptions" do not create "a precedent".

The total amount of the restoration could reach 600 to 700 million euros according to several estimates and the Minister of Culture said that "all the gifts in money" would go to Notre Dame. Opposition representatives want to know what the state will do with a possible surplus of donations once the work is completed. Some parliamentarians suggest redistributing the remaining funds to other cathedrals or churches in danger: according to "the Observatory of Religious Heritage", some 5,000 religious buildings are deteriorating in the country. France has between 40,000 and 60,000 churches and chapels.

A troubling discovery

While the investigation to determine the causes of the fire of Notre-Dame de Paris skidded, the Regional Health Agency made a troubling discovery. According to the newspaper Le Parisien, the fire caused the melting of 300 tons of lead. The environmental badociation "Les Robins des bois" described the cathedral in a state of "toxic waste". And it is precisely this advance that is problematic because a boy living on Île de la Cité, where Notre Dame is located, has a lead level above the regulatory threshold of 50 micrograms per liter of blood.

To control the consequences of this presence of lead in the air surrounding the burnt place and determine "the cause (s) of this impregnation and check that it is not related to factors other than the ## 147 ## 39; episode exceptional ", the Regional Health Agency has opened an" environmental investigation ". Therefore, island residents, especially children under 7 years and pregnant women, are welcome to consult and be tested. Decontamination of the soil will begin in the next few days.