The archbishop will be in the helmet

The first Mass will take place in Notre Dame today after the fire

Today, June 15, the archbishop of Paris Monsignor Michel Opeti will serve the first mass of the fire from the time of the fire, which happened exactly two months ago. For those who are interested in the picture, this is the link to the broadcast, which should begin at 18.00 (19.00 Moscow time).

The last news of the cathedral was reported the day before, Minister of Culture Frank Rester. “Notre-Dame de Paris is still in a vulnerable state, in particular, in the vault area, the safety of which is not yet ensured,” and therefore “he can still fall into the entire collapse,” Riser said on the air of the France 2 television channel. The minister also confirmed the information that appeared on the Francetvinfo website that only 80 were sent to restore the cathedral for two months Millions of euros out of 850 million declared - that is, less than 10% of the amount.

The minister said that this can be explained by two factors: firstly, there are people who changed their minds to give money, and secondly, “and this is normal”, the rest of the contributions will come as restoration work moves. Noting that “a priori we have no problem with money,” Rester still called on everyone who wants to continue the demonstration of “generous impulses” (in the form of transfer to bank accounts). At the same time, the minister recalled that the money - they did not get fraudsters - should only be transferred to the details of authorized funds. The Francetvinfo website lists them: Fondation Notre-Dame, Fondation Du Patrimoine, Fondation de France, Centre des Monments National.

By the way, it turned out a little earlier that the transfer to the reconstruction of the cathedral and the tips for compliance with the financial “safety precautions” could not have been needed -

If the notot-dame itself was observed safety precautions. In any case, only such a conclusion can be drawn from the investigation of the Le Monde newspaper.

The newspaper-referring to the evidence of the former and current employees of Elytis, who was responsible for safety in Notre Dame-claims that firefighters were called at least half an hour later than they should. This is due to the fact that on the spot on that day the second shift in a row was on duty by a new employee who did not know the device of the cathedral and the signals of the warning equipment.

Moreover, the witnesses surveyed by the newspaper said that in 2015, when Elytis began to be responsible for safety in the cathedral, employees warned the leadership of security problems several times. Once they also sent a report to the Culture Office (DRAC) of the Paris region, but to no avail. As a result of the “first attentive listeners”, the complainants gained only now - represented by the criminal police who investigate the fire, ”the Russian editorial office quoted the newspaper RFI.

Among the complaints there were also reports that fire safety employees did not always know about repair work in Notre Dame. So it was, for example, in February 2015, when buttons and flammable substances were found at the work site. ” When this was reported to the chief architect of the cathedral Benjamen Muton, he allegedly answered: "Nothing can happen that we could not keep under control." What happened, everyone knows.

Soon after the fire, April 23, it turned out that the workers on that very day, 04/15/2019, smoked in the cathedral. However, the investigation continues, so it is impossible to say the actual cause of the fire.

As for today's, the first after the disaster of the Mass, only the elected ones will fall on it, for the sake of security. According to the Archbishop of Paris, there will be only thirty people elected (including priests, technicians and “specialized” journalists), and the Mass is carried out in order to “to say to the whole world” that “Notre Dame is primarily the Church” and it will remain.

The conduct of today's liturgical service almost coincided with the celebration of Notre Dama, usually celebrated on June 16.

Given the fragile state of the cathedral, after this mass, a long break may be followed. Everything will depend on the first experience and on further recommendations of builders.

According to France Inter radio, all participants in the mass, including priests, will give helmets.

Well, for those who do not get to the service, I will retell the last comforting news: the city hall of the 4th district of Paris promised “Very soon”, from day to day, to open the square in front of the Notre Dam.

On the square, on the initiative of the abbot Patrick Shove, a copy of the sculpture of the Mother of God, which stood in the cathedral, will be installed. It will be possible to pray without a helmet.