Majestic reopening of the Notre-Dame cathedral, one of the architectural matrices of our civilization, illuminating the uncertain future of the war in Ukraine, France’s new relations with the Church, the tensions between Paris and the European Union (EU), and the national, French crisis, converted into a minefield for the euro zone and the Atlantic Alliance.
An hour and a half before the grand reopening of Notre-Dame began, Emmanuel Macron met, at the Elysée, Donald Trump, president-elect of the United States, and Volodymyr Zelensky, president of Ukraine.
The meeting began at 5:35 in the afternoon and ended twenty-five minutes later. Brief but exceptionally symbolic meeting, perhaps historic, if it had a later extension. Perhaps essential meeting for the future of Europe.
It was another personal dialogue between Trump and Zelensky to advance the first pawns of an eventual negotiation? between Ukraine and Putin, with Trump as an exceptionally powerful “middleman.” As Europe’s leading atomic power, France, Macron and his ministers have responded directly to all of Putin’s threats to “use” nuclear missiles. Hence the importance of Macron’s “intermediary” job.
The best-informed diplomatic sources estimate that Zelensky was able to transfer Trump the “minimum conditions” that Ukraine could accept to study a possible end to the war. Until yesterday it was thought that Zelensky would defend, until the “end”, the “complete” territorial integrity of his homeland.
After the Macron, Trump and Zelensky meeting, Monsignor Laurent Ulrich, Archbishop of Paris, opened the doors of the cathedral with three knocks and the recitation of several verses from the Psalms, in the presence of a certain royal, diplomatic and world political elite.
Among the guests were the Belgian kings Philip and Matilda; the German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier; the first lady of the United States, Jill Biden; the Paraguayan head of state, Santiago Peña, and that of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Félix Tshisekedi. Prince Williams represented the kings of England. Also present were the kings of Morocco and Jordan, Prince Albert II of Monaco, the emir of Qatar, owner of PSG, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Elon Musk, Trump’s billionaire friend.
Among those absent, the kings of Spain and Pope Francis. Nobody explained the Spanish absence in Paris.
On the contrary, Monsignor Laurent Ulrich, archbishop of Paris, explained with precision and diplomacy the “differences” that exist between the Vatican and Macron’s France: “I perfectly understand that the Pope did not wish to travel for this type of event. Francis prefers to be closer to the simple people, the people of God. In the ecclesiastical field, he believes that this is a matter between the French State and the Church of Paris, not the Vatican.
Without Ursula von der Leyen
Another capital absence, to understand the new relations between France and the European Union (EU), that of Ursula von der Leyen. After the signing of the historic agreement between the Union and Mercosur, the president of the Commission reported in a very brief statement that “she would not be in Paris.” This is a major confrontation between Paris and a good part of the European allies, in the capital area of world trade.
Before the beginning of the great religious, political and diplomatic ceremonies, the financial notation agency Fitch launched another disastrous reminder, commenting in this way on the national political crisis: «The collapse of the Government threatens France’s consolidation plan, in the medium term , unable to respect EU budget rules. “Political fragmentation makes the search for compromise and budget consolidation very difficult.” This is a disturbing warning: the international financial community fears the “unforeseeable degradation” of France.
In the political and institutional heart of that unprecedented crisis, hoping to form a new government next week, Emmanuel Macron finished the institutional acts of the reopening of Notre-Dame, presenting them as an emblematic symbol of the past and future of the Nation, “united in a common ambition.”
«The bells of Notre-Dame have rung again. They are a sign of hope,” Macron said, adding: “We owe all our gratitude to the men who have made this reconstruction possible. They were faithful to the will, taking the path of hope. We must treasure this lesson of fragility, humility and will, never forgetting that each one counts, united. “The greatness of this cathedral is inseparable from the work of everyone, united, in a common ambition.”
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