Trump returns to world stage for Notre Dame Cathedral reopening in Paris
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Notre-Dame Cathedral Reopens in Paris
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Above: World leaders, politicians and guests stand as the Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulric reads during the ceremony to mark the reopening of Notre-Dame of Paris Cathedral on Dec. 7, 2024 in Paris, France. Image copyright: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images for Notre-Dame de Paris
The Facts
Notre-Dame Cathedral, the 12th-century Gothic church in the heart of Paris, reopened over the weekend for the first time since a massive fire destroyed its roof and spire in 2019.
Some 1.5K people attended the reopening ceremony on Saturday, including world leaders such as France's Pres. Emmanuel Macron, Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US Pres.-elect Donald Trump.
The Spin
Narrative A
Under fire at home, Macron has achieved a symbolic victory with the reopening of the Notre-Dame Cathedral — which he has described as a "metaphor for the life of the nation" — in just five years. Furthermore, he was able to make an impressive return to the world stage to broker talks with Trump and Zelenskyy.
Narrative B
Given that Notre-Dame is a symbol of Western civilization, those who worked to rebuild it must be praised — even politicians such as Emmanuel Macron. It's a shame, though, that the French president has sought to use the reopening for his own secular purposes, acting as if the cathedral were a civil hall rather than a place of worship.
