France's Notre Dame holds first Christmas mass since reopening after devastating fire in 2019

Paris's Notre Dame organised its first Christmas midnight mass after a catastrophic fire five years ago. The beloved Paris monument, first constructed in 1163, nearly burned down in 2019 but has been renovated inside and fitted with a new roof and spire during a frenzied reconstruction effort since then. It was reopened this month.

"Joy in heaven, peace on earth, Merry Christmas to all of you who are here in this cathedral to celebrate the feast of Christmas," Bishop Ulrich said to the devotees on Christmas Eve. He also paid tribute to the "talents deployed on the restoration site" which allowed "the pain of the fire and the five years of separation to be erased to leave only the joy of reunion, the joy of living together again in this common house, the house of God," local media reported.

Marie-Christine Bascourret, a retiree dressed all in red, was able to attend the 4 pm mass on Tuesday. She told AFP that she found it "magnificent". She decided to go at 2 pm and waited in line for an hour: "It gave me heart," she said.

"It's a special tradition. I came to mass here every year for ten years before the fire," explained Daniel James, a 46-year-old American who lives in Seattle. "I'm so happy to come back, it's so magical and special, it's a feeling of hope, of joy."