The Archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, has officially reopened the Notre Dame Cathedral this Saturday with a rite that has consisted of solemnly knocking on the doors knocking with his cross and waiting for the response of the Gothic temple, which has been intoned by the choirs inside, before crossing the threshold.

Specifically, the singers of Notre Dame have pronounced psalm 121 of the Bible – “I raise my eyes to the mountains; “Where will my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, creator of heaven and earth”- each of the three times that the archbishop asked Notre Dame to open its doors.

The ceremony, which has had to be readjusted due to wind and rain and has begun with the ringing of the cathedral bells, is attended by dozens of leaders from all over the world, such as the President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, and the first lady, Jill Biden; the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni or the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky.

Trump and Zelenski, on the Elysée

Both Trump and Zelenski had just been received at the Elysée, by Emmanuel Macron, a diplomatic victory for the French president, who has achieved this first meeting between both leaders since the victory of the Republican leader in the November elections, with the uncertain future of Washington’s support for Kiev against Russia on the table.

That has led to Macron and his wife, Brigitte, arriving later than expected at the esplanade of the cathedral, where a tent had been set up to allow the greeting and photo of the heads of state and government present.

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In the absence of the French President, the acting Prime Minister, Michel Barnier, has taken care of the first welcome.

When Zelenski arrived a few minutes after Macron and entered the restored ship, the Ukrainian president was received with applause.

Elon Musk and Prince William among the guests

Meanwhile, some of the attendees took pictures with the billionaire businessman Elon Musk, also present at this ceremony in which there has been a large representation of European royalty, such as Prince William of Wales or the kings of the Belgians, Philip and Matilda.

Already with all the guests inside, the sign of the beginning of the ceremony has come from the bells, which Macron, his wife and the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, have heard standing in front of the facade.

A cross with wood recovered from the fire

Then the archbishop of Paris, accompanied by other clergy, has made a brief procession with the wooden cross with which he has knocked on the doors (made with wood recovered from the ruins of the April 2019 fire). All dressed with a cape with green, red, yellow and blue colors, each with a special liturgical meaning.

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After opening the doors, he went to the pool with the holy water before returning outside to invite Macron, the French first lady and the Parisian mayor to enter.

With that, the next stage of the ceremony has begun, which initially should have been the first and taken place on the outdoor esplanade, with a more political character.

In this part Macron gives a speech before giving up the baton to Archbishop Ulrich who will continue with the planned religious rites, such as the calls to make the cathedral organ “wake up”.