France on Saturday, December 7, re-opened the doors of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral after a five-year closure, in a ceremony celebrating the rebirth of the Paris landmark ravaged by a devastating fire in 2019.
French President Emmanuel Macron scored a major coup by attracting US President-elect Donald Trump, on his first foreign trip since his election. He was joined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for three-way talks at the Elysée Palace.
USA-trump-france.JPG 1x, https://img.lemde.fr/2024/12/07/0/0/4981/3321/1260/0/45/0/f9f5f20_2024-12-07t165135z-619183353-rc2gkbadfif0-rtrmadp-3-usa-trump-france.JPG 2x” width=”664″ height=”443″ alt=”French President Emmanuel Macron, US President-elect Donald Trump and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Elysée.”/> 
Some 40 other leaders attended the ceremony, as well as many guests and VIPs.
Outside, people stood in the cold wind and rain to get a glimpse of the ceremony from television screens placed along the quay.
The re-opening officially took place when Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich opened the doors to the cathedral by knocking on them three times, marking the start of the almost two-hour ceremony.
Macron then gave a speech, expressing the “gratitude” of the French nation for the restoration of Notre-Dame.
The cathedral’s four organists, Thierry Escaich, Olivier Latry, Vincent Dubois and Thibault Fajoles, took part in the musical re-awakening of the organ.
The liturgical ceremony included a psalm for vespers, a homily by the bishop and a Magnificat, accompanied by the choir organ.
After the liturgical ceremony, a concert took place on the cathedral’s parvis.
Notre-Dame de Paris re-opening in pictures
Man could face prison for urging American to shoot himself during call
A UK man faces jail after admitting to goading an American to shoot himself during a video call, as detailed in “Man faces jail for
US seeks to assert control over strategic Strait of Hormuz amid tensions with Iran
EUROPE MORNING BRIEFING
Concerns over the Strait of Hormuz’s geopolitical significance heighten this morning. The European Union is monitoring developments as tensions escalate in