Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew expressed to the Roman Catholic faithful of Paris and to the entire French nation – through letters addressed to the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Paris, Michel Aupetit, and to the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron – his deep sorrow and sympathy for the destructive fire that occurred at the Notre Dame Cathedral, one of the most significant monuments attesting to the history and spiritual identity of the French capital.

His All-Holiness highlighted that the Notre Dame is not only a cathedral, but that it constitutes a visible “meeting point” of Christian faith and human ingenuity, a symbol of the common ideals of humanity, and a “voice” from which stems a resonant petition for peace and love.

The Patriarch prays for the speedy restoration of the historical cathedral, underscoring that “the world today is wounded, and it collectively lives a special mourning, which transcends confessional and religious affiliations.”