Religion

Paris Easter Mass-goers pray for Notre Dame's reconstruction

Easter mass in the French capital had to be relocated from the badly burned Notre Dame to the smaller Saint-Eustache church. The archbishop of Paris paid tribute to the city's fire brigade.

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Frankreich, Paris: Karfreitag-Prozession "Stationen des Kreuzes" an Notre-Dame — People attend a Good Friday procession along the banks of the River Seine, near Notre Dame Cathedral (Reuters/G. Fuentes)Image: Reuters/G. Fuentes

Just days after a fire devastated Notre Dame cathedralin Paris, hundreds of people gathered at Saint-Eustache Catholic church to celebrate Easter mass in the French capital on Sunday.

At the mass, which had originally been scheduled to be held at Notre Dame, the archbishop of Paris Michel Aupetit drew parallels between the planned renewal of the beloved landmark and the resurrection of Jesus Christ which is celebrated by Christians at Easter.

Aupetit also received a minute's applause when he paid tribute to the city's fire brigade for their efforts in stopping the fire.

"We will rise up again and our cathedral will rise up again," he told worshippers in attendance, including Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo.

For some in attendance, the future of the cathedral mirrors the future of the Catholic church, which has been hit by a series of sexual abuse scandals.

"Notre Dame is something that goes beyond our religion, it's historic, it is our heritage," said Laurence Mahoudeau, one worshipper. "I don't know if this will prompt a renewal. There needs to be time. We want a strong Church. But it must be something completely different after the suffering and the sexual abuse."

This week, Emmanuel Macron vowed to rebuild the cathedral within five years.

The destruction of the famous monument prompted an outpouring of financial support by wealthy families and corporations totaling around 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) for its reconstruction. Many on social media criticized the donations, wondering whether they would be better spent on other causes.