Pope Leo XIV Leads Vespers at Notre Dame, First Pontiff Since 2019 Fire

Pope Leo XIV presided over vespers at Notre Dame cathedral in Paris on Friday, becoming the first pontiff to celebrate there since the 2019 blaze that blackened the interior and tore holes in its vaulted ceilings.

Welcomed at the cathedral, the pope knelt in prayer at the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament before moving to the Chapel of the Crown of Thorns, where he kissed the relic. He also paused in prayer beside a statue that survived the fire.

In his homily, delivered in French, the pope recalled the night seven years ago when the world watched the cathedral burn. That anguish, he said, was shared far beyond Catholics and believers, and it showed that Notre-Dame is more than a monument.

He marvelled at the restored cream limestone columns and stained-glass windows, praising the artisans whose cooperation brought the building back to life, and urged the priests and nuns seated in the pews to draw inspiration from that shared effort.

Looking beyond the capital, he said that if Notre-Dame stands as a sign of encounter at the heart of Paris, then other French cities and regions, including the most remote and rural, could be transformed by a simple and welcoming missionary presence of the church, one that helps harmonise cultural differences and heal wounds in society.

Outside the cathedral, the pope was greeted by crowds, with people chanting as he made his way past them.

The visit marks a contrast with his predecessor, Francis, who declined to make a state visit to France and turned down an invitation from President Emmanuel Macron to attend the cathedral's 2024 reopening, an event that drew dozens of world leaders.