Alongside his wife, Brigitte, and the archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, the French president was shown around the rebuilt medieval cathedral on Friday morning by Philippe Villeneuve, the chief architect of France's national monuments.

Inside the light-filled halls, Macron took in the Clôture Nord du Chœur, a sculpted wall depicting scenes from the life of Jesus Christ, and marvelled at the famous rose windows, now cleansed of the crud that had amassed in its corners over generations.

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During an in-flight press conference on the papal plane on Sept 13, the pope firmly stated: "I will not go to Paris!"

French President Emmanuel Macron invited Pope Francis to visit Paris for the long-awaited reopening of the historic cathedral, which is set to take place on Dec 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.

Pope Francis traditionally celebrates the Marian feast with the city of Rome in the piazza at the foot of the Spanish Steps.

In 2019, the world mourned the damage to the medieval Paris cathedral by a fire that devastated the 315-foot-tall oak spire and timber roof of the eight-centuries-old cathedral.

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"We are willing to discuss all this (the situation in Ukraine) with the Americans, with the French, and with the pontiff," Peskov said during a daily telephone news conference on 25 October.

The Russian official was referring to the proposal by French President Emmanuel Macron, who on Monday asked the Roman Pontiff to call Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Joe Biden, and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill to "promote the peace process" in Ukraine.

In a statement to Le Point magazine, Macron said he encouraged "Pope Francis to call Vladimir Putin and Patriarch Kirill, but also Joe Biden. We need the United States to come to the table to promote the peace process in Ukraine."

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So far, both countries have excluded the need for passes to be shown before attending Mass!

The Italian government rolled out new rules requiring citizens to present a ‘Green Pass' to be admitted to most indoor venues.

The pass demonstrates they have been vaccinated, or have had a negative COVID test in the past 48 hours.

A spokesman from the Italian bishops' conference told Crux that "there has been nothing" in terms of discussion about whether a Green Pass or negative COVID test will be necessary to attend Mass or other indoor church events.

During Italy's strict coronavirus lockdown in 2020, Masses were suspended for nearly three months. This was part of a wider ban on all public gatherings in a bid to curb the number of infections.

The suspension of Masses sparked a widespread national debate on religious freedom. Many arguing that access to spiritual support was an ‘essential service' in such a difficult time.

It was also suggested that the ample size of Italian churches allowed faithful to spread out without fear of contagion.

Meanwhile, in France, President Emmanuel Macron has mandated that only people who possess a "health passport" will be allowed to participate in cultural and recreational events attended by more than 50 people.

The passport will attest they have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Father Gwenaël Maurey, rector of the basilica and shrine of Sainte-Anne d'Auray, said the extension of the health passport for religious ceremonies would have been "a normal measure".

The priest said he would have welcomed extending the measure to churches. "The health passport is an act of charity, to protect others," he said.

French church officials say that even though health passports are not required to attend Mass, people must still be vigilant.

During the Easter celebrations in April, several parishes were accused of not respecting protective measures.

Consequently, "the introduction of a health passport in places of worship could have resolved these concerns and reassured parishioners," opined Father Maurey.

Sources

Crux

La Croix International

The murdered teacher, Samuel Paty, had discussed caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed with his class earlier this month.

After the murder, 16 people were initially detained, by police. They included members of the killer's family and five adolescent students at Paty's school.

A judicial official says seven of the 16 people, including two minors, were to go before a magistrate to face for preliminary charges.

Questions investigators are still trying to answer include how the killer set up their encounter with Paty, whether there was complicity and whether the murder was premeditated.

At Macron's request, his Cabinet ordered a group called the Collective Cheikh Yassine that was "directly implicated" in the teacher's murder to be dissolved at Wednesday' Cabinet meeting.

A Paris mosque has also been shut down for six months - with a six-month prison sentence for violators.

The Pantin mosque's closure is a punishment for relaying a virulent message about Paty on social media from the father of one of his students.

The Pantin mosque was also associated with an 18-year-old Pakistani refugee who three weeks earlier attacked and injured two people with a meat cleaver.

Rising tensions in Paris after Paty's murder spilt over on Sunday when two Muslim women were repeatedly stabbed under the Eiffel Tower by two other women shouting "Dirty Arabs."

President Emmanuel Macron is currently working on a bill to address Islamic radicals, who authorities claim are creating a parallel society outside French values.

But members of France's five million-plus Muslim community have complained of 'Islamophobia' caused by a clampdown on mosques and Muslim organisations.

After a meeting with regional officials working to counter radical Islamists, Macron said other associations and individuals are also on the radar to be shut down or silenced.

Source

• NewsChain
• Daily Mail
• Image: The New York Times

Speaking in Les Mureaux, north west of Paris where there is a large Muslim population, the president's theme was that Islamists, who have a political agenda, were the enemies of mainstream Muslims and were infiltrating numerous aspects of ordinary life.

Wahhabi and Salafist strands of Islam, originally simply spiritual, had become radicalised and many of their adherents no longer accept French laws, he stated. Read more

Many Lebanese citizens are blaming their leaders' incompetence, for the deadly explosion that leveled the city's main port last Tuesday.

The blast sent a shock wave through Lebanon's capital, destroyed entire neighborhoods, killed at least 154 people, injured about 5,000 and pushed at least 250,000 from their homes.

Reports say the explosion was caused by 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, which was being stored at the wharf.

Ammonium nitrate — typically used to make fertilizers and explosives — is believed to have been carried on a vessel owned by a Russian businessman, who allegedly abandoned the cargo at the port roughly seven years ago.

In addition to the explosive material, "30 to 40 nylon bags of fireworks" confiscated in 2010 were stored in the same wharf-side hangar.

A former port worker, says the bags were confiscated in 2010 were in the same warehouse as the ammonium nitrate.

Violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces turned central Beirut into a battle zone. Rocks flew, batons were used and clouds of tear gas were fired at protesters.

The protesters are calling for the resignation of the country's political elite.

Word of Saturday's planned protest spread online Friday with calls for demonstrators to gather in Martyrs' Square.

The Square became a central location for uprisings that ousted the country's prime minister last year, although the political system remained intact.

French President Emmanuel Macron visited Beirut on Thursday promising aid. He appeared to be sympathetic to protesters calling for a new political order in Lebanon.

However Macron, whose country previously ruled Lebanon as a colonial power, said France would not give "blank checks to a system that no longer has the trust of its people."

He said he would call for "a new political pact" when he met with Lebanon's political leaders later in the day.

Since the end of the country's civil war in 1990, Lebanon has had a sectarian power-sharing government.

The president of the government must be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister must be a Sunni Muslim and the speaker of Parliament must be a Shiite Muslim.

The factions in power — including Iranian-backed Hezbollah — have used the system for appointing friends and associates to positions of authority, without proper regard to their qualifications.

The result has led to widespread corruption in the government.

The corruption has extended to the port of Beirut. Bribery is said to be rampant and goods are often hidden from taxes and duties.

The prime minister has vowed to investigate it and hold all those who were behind it accountable.

However, doubts that justice will be done abound Lebanon, which has a long history of civil strife and assassinations whose perpetrators were never prosecuted.

Source

• New York Post
• New York Times
• Image: Time Magazine

The archbishop of Paris, Michel Aupetit, led the service which was held in an undamaged side-chapel behind the choir.

Saturday - the day the mass was celebrated - is the anniversary of the church altar's consecration.

The annual Dedication Mass commemorates the cathedral's consecration as a place of worship.

"This cathedral is a place of worship, it is its very own and unique purpose," Aupetit says.

Father Pierre Vivares, who was at the mass, said it was "a true happiness, full of hope.

"We will rebuild this cathedral. It will take time of course — a lot of money, a lot of time, a lot of work — but we will succeed," he said.

"Today it's a small, but a true victory against the disaster we have had."

French Culture Minister Franck Riester says the cathedral remains in a "fragile" state, especially its vaulted ceiling, which is still at risk of collapsing.

For security reasons, only about 30 people — mainly priests, canons and church employees — were at the service. Some of the workers rebuilding the church were also invited.

Other worshippers could watch the Mass live on a Catholic TV station.

The video showed some burnt wood still in the church but a famous statue of the Virgin and Child appeared intact behind wooden construction planks.

It is still not known when the cathedral will reopen to the public.

Right now though, less than 10 per cent of the nearly €1 billion (£892m) pledged for reconstruction has been paid.

There are also several issues being discussed and debated.

Arguments have arisen over whether the cathedral should be rebuilt exactly as it was or with contemporary touches.

President Emmanuel Macron's decision to hold an international contest to select designs from the world's leading architects is controversial in France, with some contending that it should be left to French architects.

André Finot, the cathedral spokesman, says donors "want to know exactly what their money will be used for and if they agree to it before they hand it over".

In the meantime, the French parliament is debating amendments to a new law that would create a public body to expedite the restoration of the cathedral and circumvent some of France's complex labor laws.

Source

• Huffington Post
• NewsMax
• Telegraph
• Image: Euronews

The cathedral was badly damaged in a fire on 15 April.

The bill will allow the government to pass emergency orders regarding Notre Dame so that the country's strict and lengthy processes surrounding the renovation of historic monuments can be bypassed.

Besides cutting red tape, the bill offers a legal framework to provide financial transparency for the project so it is clear where the huge amounts of money donated for the restoration will be spent.

If the bill becomes law, French President Emmanuel Macron's goal of rebuilding the cathedral in just five years could become a reality.

He believes the work can be completed in this time, although many restoration experts dispute that.

Some architects and heritage experts have expressed concerns about the quality of the work to be done on the cathedral.

The work includes replacing the 19th-century spire, which collapsed during the fire and which will have to be redesigned. The French Government said it would accept proposals from architects around the world.

The 90-metre spire was one of Paris's most recognisable landmarks.

France is split on whether the cathedral's new ceiling and spire should be rebuilt as an exact replica, or with a bold new design for the modern age.

There is also widespread debate across France, with differing views over whether the restoration work should involve new technologies and designs.

Government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye said the government will focus on "respecting heritage".

Source

• Crux Now
• ABC
• Image: Travel and Leisure
• ABC

France's highest bioethics body, the National Consultative Ethics Committee (CCNE), sees the issue differently.

Under the current law, technologies such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and artificial insemination are restricted to heterosexual couples, and surrogacy is illegal.

President Emmanuel Macron has promised to change this law.

French media say a bill is likely to be introduced in Parliament in 2019.

In a document by Archbishop Pierre d'Ornellas (who is the head of a working group on bioethics of the French bishops' conference) signed by all French bishops, the bishops outline their concerns.

They say their purpose in intervening in the proposed law change is because they wished to offer an ethical perspective on the forthcoming debates, based on reason and in the spirit of dialogue.

The bishops predict liberalising the law would lead to the social acceptance of surrogacy, the rise of eugenics and the notion that children were commodities to please adults.

Furthermore, if the law were changed, society would be harmed because the treatment would enable fatherhood to be removed from the lives of children.

The CCNE, however, says "artificial insemination should be available to all women" regardless of relationship status or sexual orientation, reasoning that the inability to have children constituted a real "hardship."

However, it still upholds France's current policy on surrogacy, ruling that the practice is unethical no matter the "motivation," medical or otherwise.

According to a recent study for La Croix newspaper, 60 percent of French people support expanding the law to include single women and lesbian couples, as opposed to just 24 percent in 1990.

Source

• Crux Now
• France 24
• Image: CNN

Macron visited the Vatican to accept an inherited title of the "First and Only Honorary Canon" of the Basilica of St. John Lateran.

St John Lateran is the pope's cathedral in his capacity as bishop of Rome.

Under a tradition that began in the 15th century when France was a monarchy, French leaders are automatically given the title.

While Macron was at the Vatican, he and Francis discussed a range of diplomatic issues.

These included environmental protection, migration and conflict prevention and resolution, particularly disarmament.

They also spoke about prospects for resolving conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, and the future of Europe.

The Vatican has reported the meeting between Francis and Macron was unusually long - about twice as long as Francis usually spends with heads of state or government.

Francis and Macron also exchanged gifts.

Macron gave Francis a rare copy of Georges Bernanos' 1936 book Diary of a Country Priest.

Francis gave Macron a medal depicting St. Martin of Tours, who gave his cloak to a poor man.

Although the meeting between Francis and Macron was successful, Macron has been accused of straining France's secular foundations by seeking to mend ties with the Church.

Critics say his efforts blur a line that has kept French government free of religious intervention for generations.

The issue is particularly sensitive in historically Catholic France, where matters of faith and state were separated by law in 1905 and which is now home to Europe's largest Muslim and Jewish communities.

France's guiding principles also hold that religious observance is a private matter for all faiths.

Source

• UPI
• France 24
• Time
• Image: Time

In tribute to Beltrame, President Emmanuel Macron made reference to Joan of Arc, members of the French resistance and others who had died for the country.

Beltrame, who was a devout Catholic, had volunteered to take the place of a female hostage being held by the suspected Islamist gunman Radouane Lakdim.

The 25-year old gunman had already killed three people.

"It [his heroic sacrifice] was the gesture of a soldier and a Christian. They were both totally combined in his life and you cannot separate one from the other," his widow Marielle said.

She said Beltrame was "profoundly attached to what he called the ‘gendarmerie family' for which he didn't count the hours, or his engagement.

"He knew how to unite his men, to give them their momentum, to enable them to give the best of themselves.

"He was motivated by very high moral values, the values of service, generosity, giving oneself, abnegation."

According to news reports, Beltrame and his family were not regular Mass attendees when he was a child.

He is said to have gradually returned to the faith after joining an international military pilgrimage to Lourdes in 2006.

After experiencing "a personal encounter with Christ" at the age of 33, he joined a catechumenal programme in his parish near Paris.

Baptised as a child, he made his first communion and was confirmed in 2009.

"I was always astonished at official ceremonies because he did not hesitate to take communion even though he was in uniform," said parish priest Father Marie-Bernard Seigneur.

Seigneur remembers Beltrame as a discreet Christian who attended Mass on Sundays or Saturday evening at a local retreat centre and often visited church to pray during the day.

Source

• Catholic Herald
• The Guardian
• La Croix
• La Croix
• Image: Washington Post