SUNDAY THE TRIBUNE – What will you think on Saturday when you enter the cathedral after the Archbishop of Paris, Mgr Laurent Ulrich?
MGR OLIVIER RIBADEAU DUMAS – I think about all the work done in the last five years. And above all the fact that the cathedral, returned to the Parisians, is again the mother church of the diocese. This jewel of the heritage is also returned to the world, because Notre Dame it has inseparably a religious and cultural dimension.
What message do you want to send to the hundred invited heads of state or government?
The world will be here in its diversity. Those who govern us but also the Parisians, people of all conditions, of all religions, of all cultures and of all languages, united in the same joy. This reopening unit is the sign we want to give. With also a message of hope. Indeed, what seemed dead has come back to life. What seemed impossible (rebuilding the building in five years) was done.
Next Sunday, the re-opening mass at 10:30 pm will conclude with a fraternal buffet offered to the poor.
The Christian life is manifested by the daily attention to the poorest. And so the bishops will share the meal with 150 people in precarious circumstances. What is fundamental is the resumption of liturgical life in the cathedral. But I am well aware that the influence of Notre-Dame goes far beyond the borders of Catholics and the French. That is why we want the whole world to be able to vibrate and share this moment of joy on Saturday night through a very festive television program that will reflect at the same time the sacred dimension of cathedral including the Maîtrise de Notre-Dame.
What impression did you have when you found the interior of the cathedral?
Great simplicity and extreme delicacy. Place of rest and peace, Notre Dame it is magnificent. We find its Gothic elevation and also its width, because the darkness that covered it before the fire has removed its real proportions. It has a very special light, both because of the blonde of the stone, the splendor of the paintings… It is a place where the Christian life is magnified.
The bronze liturgical furniture of Guillaume Bardet fits in–is it in space?
The altar, the baptistery at the entrance, the cathedra (bishop’s seat), the ambo (where the readings are proclaimed) and the tabernacle (which contains the hosts) function both with the monument itself and ‘with Ionna’s chairs. Vautrin, who let the light shine. It is very nice. Also magnificent is the monumental reliquary by Sylvain Dubuisson that houses the most sacred of Christian relics: the crown of the Passion of Christ. Not forgetting the completely redesigned treasury of the cathedral, which presents the tunic of Saint Louis and numerous pieces of goldsmithery.
How to explain the attachment of the French, believers or not, to Notre-Dame?
There is something of the soul of France in Notre-Dame. Many events of our history are linked, it is a meeting point, both the Magnificat and the Liberation with General de Gaulle ou drone that sounded for the attacks of November 13, 2015. There is also a maternal presence at Notre-Dame that explains this very strong link with the French. In the cathedral, everyone feels at home.
On Saturday, Emmanuel Macron will make his speech in the square and not in the cathedral. Have the tensions between the archdiocese and the Elysée around the republican protocol been calmed?
There was no tension between the Elysée and the diocese. It is the first time a cathedral has been reopened in our history. It is one of the great events of 2024 with the I. So the discussions were gradually refined between the interlocutors. Of the various hypotheses considered, we chose the best. The desire of the archbishop has always been that the unity shown since the fire persists well beyond the reopening. Likewise, it is normal that the President of the Republic made a final visit to the site on Friday and thanked the partners and all the donors.
Access to Notre-Dame remains–t–Is it free, despite the wishes of the Minister of Culture who would like to charge 5 euros for the entrance?
The cathedral is and remains open to all, free of charge and without conditions. The law of 1905 provides that there can be no tax or fee for entry to places of worship. As for the difference between visitors and faithful, I don’t know. It is also very important that there are places in our country where you can find peace without being forced to pay. Finally, let’s not forget that Notre-Dame was restored thanks to donor money thanks to which, its reconstruction costs nothing to the State. It would therefore be paradoxical to charge the entry fee to all those, French or foreign, who finance this work.
Absent at Notre-Dame, Pope Francis will go to Corsica eight days later. Isn’t this a snob for the archbishop of Paris?
No way. First, it is to the Archbishop of Paris, appointed by the popethat has to reopen the cathedral. Francis does not want to take the place of the local bishops. Then, there is no surprise: we had absolute certainty from February 2024 that he will not come. We know very well that the Pope is very attached to the Mediterranean region and migrations. So, that he went to a conference in Corsica on popular religiosity in the Mediterranean, a subject close to his heart, seems completely normal to me. And I’m happy for the Courses.
The project to replace Viollet-le-Duc’s glass ceilings with contemporary stained glass is controversial. Who had this idea, the Archbishop of Paris or the President of the Republic?
They are not in private conversations between the president and the archbishop. I just know that these are two desires that collide. Notre-Dame spans the centuries and has never stopped evolving. Each era has left its mark. No one monument it is not stuck in the past.
Do you have a regret?
Yes, I am sorry that General Georgelin (president of the public institution Rebâtir Notre-Dame de Paris, died on August 18, 2023) will not be able to see the reopening of the cathedral, for which he fought so much. He will see it from heaven.
