The reconstruction of Notre-Dame de Paris was the source of numerous disagreements between the clergy and Emmanuel Macron. The Church prevented him from imposing his will.
For Emmanuel Macron, the opening ceremony of Notre-Dame de Paris, organized on December 7, is symbolic. This is testimony to a promise kept, despite a lackluster five-year term, governed by a largely unpopular president: in October, he brought together 78% of dissatisfied voters according to the Ifop monthly barometer.
As assumed by the former Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak to the newspaper The Pointthe reconstruction of the cathedral is a good opportunity for the head ofState of restoring his image: “He was passionate about the site, following all the stages, he asked to see the images, the models, even the artistic proposals for the liturgical furniture and the chairs, but without interfering in the choices. Especially since with the Covid this project has transformed for him, even more than at its beginnings, into a symbol of our capacities for resilience as a nation.
However, before the fire, Emmanuel Macron had never responded to the monument’s calls for help. For good reason, in 2018, the cathedral desperately needed donations in order to restore its legendary spire. At power since more than a year, the head ofState had never taken the trouble to visit it, even if only on a whim.
It was only once buried under the flames that she regained her interest in the eyes of the president. On the day of the incident, and according to the account given by the newspaper Le Pointhe appeared solemn, with a closed face, already planning a future reconstruction: “We will rebuild this cathedral, all together”, he had promised. His ambition appeared excessive. By setting a five-year reconstruction target, he was the target of strong criticism. Some accused him of maintaining unrealizable pretensions, due to current economic circumstances.Eric Fischerdirector of the Œuvre Notre-Dame Foundation, which required decades of restoration.
But for Emmanuel Macron, this project is also his. If there are decisions to be made, he is the one to contact. And he does not hesitate to let the clergy know it. Indeed, according to information from Le Point, the president did not back down from the Archbishop of Paris, Mgr Laurent Ulrich, offering to “welcome the prelate inside the building to give him the keys in front of the cameras”, before beginning a sentient speech in the heart of Notre-Dame. A proposal considered presumptuous which did not take into account the “ancestral tradition according to which the archbishop, master of “his” cathedral, strikes the closed door of the building three times with his crozier and enters it alone, first, to ” make “the moment” sacred.
The discussions were obviously very long, but Mgr Laurent Ulrich did not satisfy the president, remaining rigorously firm on his positions: “We are within our walls by entering through the door that I open”, he confided. to the newspaper. His determination allowed him to prevail in this confrontation, by prohibiting Emmanuel Macron from implementing what he had planned. To his great dismay, the Head of State will be content with the square to speak during the reopening ceremony of Notre-Dame de Paris, this Saturday, December 7.