President-elect Donald Trump will visit Paris for the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral on Dec. 7, an event that marks his return to the world stage as the political future of two other European leaders who will be in attendance is uncertain.
Some 50 heads of state are expected to attend the weekend event that caps five years of extensive renovations after the cathedral, one of the most widely recognized churches in the world and a symbol of the French capital, was nearly destroyed by fire in 2019.
The opening begins on Dec. 7 with Archbishop Laurent Ulrich’s ceremonial knock on the cathedral’s massive outer doors. The doors will open accompanied by the chanting of a psalm. That will be followed by the reawakening of the cathedral’s 8,000-pipe organ.
On Dec. 8, a Catholic mass will be held to consecrate the main altar. Some 170 bishops from around the world will gather with heads of state and invited guests, according to the cathedral’s website.
Trump Returns
The history of Notre Dame is rich with political symbolism as it was seized by the state during the French Revolution, returned to the Roman Catholic Church by Napoleon Bonaparte, and was the site of a celebratory mass after the liberation of Paris in 1944.
The reopening comes at a moment when Trump and Macron are navigating very different changes in their respective country’s political landscape.
The two leaders first met in Brussels in 2017, when both had only been in office for a short time.
A year later, Macron visited Washington and presented the American president with an oak tree, which died in 2019, shortly after a fire ravaged the great cathedral of Paris.
Trump lost reelection the following year but made a political comeback in 2024, becoming the second U.S. president elected to a non-consecutive term. Since the election, Trump has been active in foreign policy, signaling his intentions through a series of posts on Truth Social.
The messages have both made known Trump’s wishes to foreign powers including Canada, Mexico, China, Japan, and terrorist group Hamas, and have included threats of economic or military action if agreements cannot be reached. The messaging provoked strong reactions from the heads of state of Mexico and Canada.
Trump’s visit to Paris will be his first foreign trip after the November election victory.
Macron Under Pressure
As Notre Dame has risen from the ashes, Macron has faced increasing political opposition at home. On Dec. 4, the National Assembly ousted French Prime Minister Michel Barnier with a vote of no confidence, leaving the country without a functioning government. Barnier had been in office for just three months. In France, prime minister is the second-highest political office.
The following evening, the French president took to the airwaves to announce his resolve to maintain his position and bring the nation together.
Macron, who has sometimes referred to the cathedral’s reconstruction as a symbol of his political career, did so again in his televised speech, saying the reopening of the historic church was “proof that we know how to do great things, that we know how to achieve the impossible.”
The nave of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral is seen while French President Emmanuel Macron visits the restored interiors of the cathedral in Paris on Nov. 29, 2024. (Stephane de Sakutin, Pool via AP)
“For the nation, we must do the same thing,” Macron said.
Trump and Macron will hold talks prior to the Dec. 7 event, according to the French presidency.
Macron is one of the few European leaders to have been in power during Trump’s first term. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is another.
Zelenskyy Seeks Support
Zelenskyy also will attend the cathedral reopening on Dec. 7. Diplomatic sources say the Ukrainian leader could hold talks with Trump while in Paris, Reuters reported.
Ukraine, supported by the United States, has been at war since Russia invaded the nation in February 2022. Trump has said he will work to end the war quickly. The Biden Administration announced an additional $725 million in military aid to Ukraine on Dec. 2.
No meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy has been announced. Zelenskyy will meet with Macron prior to the reopening ceremony.
Notre Dame sits on Ile de la Cite, an island at the heart of Paris, and is the starting point for all roads leading to the city. The cathedral is considered a masterpiece of the French Gothic style and was constructed over nearly a century ending in 1260.
Ile de la Cite will be closed to the public during the reopening events, but the prefect of police for Paris said viewing areas for about 40,000 people will be available on the south bank of the Seine, according to France 24.
Notre Dame will be open to the public from Dec. 8 to 15 until 10 p.m., and until 7 p.m. starting on Dec. 16, according to the Paris Tourist Office.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
