Primate of the UOC expresses sympathy due to blaze in Notre Dame de Paris
The Primate of the UOC has expressed sympathy to the French people due to the fire which devastated Notre-Dame de Paris.
His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy of Kiev and All Ukraine, in her letter to Isabelle Dumont, the Ambassador of the French Republic to Ukraine, expressed regret for the great tragedy. It is reported by the Information and Education Department of the UOC.
“With sadness, I received news about the fire in one of the most famous Christian Cathedrals in the world – Notre Dame de Paris. <...> Please accept our condolences, as well as sincere wishes for your country not only to rebuild and renew this magnificent Cathedral but to continue to renew spiritually,” the letter says.
The Primate added that “for many centuries this Cathedral has epitomized the Christian faith, being a visible embodiment of the spiritual power that was the bedrock of European civilization.”
His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy expressed the hope that this tragedy and ordeal would further unite the believing citizens of France and the whole of French society.
As the UOJ reported, Notre-Dame de Paris, one of the symbols of France, which was built 850 years ago, caught fire on Monday, April 15, at about 19:50 by the Kiev time. French officials did not rule out the complete destruction of the Cathedral but in the end the firemen managed to take control of the situation and after almost nine hours to extinguish the fire. According to world media reports, a number of sacred relics kept in the Cathedral, including the crown of thorns of Jesus Christ, were saved. Also, the altar and the altar cross of the Cathedral were not damaged.
