THE Chapter of Notre-Dame de Paris have rejected government plans to introduce an entry fee when the restored cathedral officially reopens on 7 December (News, 9 February).
The Chapter released a statement in response to an announcement last week by the French Culture Minister, Rachida Dati, that a €5 entry fee would be levied to help to fund the upkeep of other historic religious buildings.
“We wish to recall the unchanged position of the Catholic Church in France regarding free entry to churches and cathedrals,” the statement from the Notre-Dame Chapter said.
“Establishing access conditions would, as elsewhere in Europe, deprive pilgrims and visitors of a sense of communion that forms the very essence of this place, and prevent them from experiencing the monument and all its infinite beauty.”
Free access was guaranteed under France’s 1905 Church-State separation law, the statement continued, and was essential to the Church’s “fundamental mission” to extend an “unconditional welcome” to everyone, regardless of religion or belief, opinions, or financial means.
Ms Dati defended the proposal. She told the newspaper Le Figaro that she had suggested the “very simple idea” to the Archbishop of Paris, the Most Revd Laurent Ulrich, and had hoped that all “political forces” would back it. “Religious services must remain free, but every cultural visitor should contribute to preserving our heritage,” she said.
“Across Europe, visitors pay to access the most remarkable religious sites. With this charge at Notre-Dame, we could save churches all over France — it would be a beautiful symbol.”
Hundreds of firefighters fought to save Notre-Dame on 15 April 2019, when a fire caused by an electrical fault brought down the 300-foot spire and 13th-century oak roof. Much of the wooden interior and masonry was destroyed (News, 18 April 2019).
The Gothic cathedral, which had previously attracted up to 14 million visitors each year, is one of 42,000 historic Roman Catholic churches in France, many of which must be maintained by government funds under the 1905 law.
Other government officials have backed the proposed entry fee, including the Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau, who told Inter-Radio that it should be viewed “as a good thing, whether one believes in heaven or not”.
The Chapter said, however, that many visitors had already helped to finance the cathedral’s restoration, and that the “non-trivial” fee would “lead to people giving up visiting a cathedral that is, by nature, open to all”.
The Roman Catholic national daily newspaper La Croix said that it doubted that the proposal would “go beyond a declaration of intent. Successive governments have tried to extend their management of public affairs to organising religions, showing contempt for Church-State separation.”