In response to the devastating fire of Notre-Dame, Bishop Agathangelos of Fanari sent a letter to the President of France, Cardinal Kurt Koch and President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, the Catholic Archbishop of Paris, Michel Aupetit, and the Ambassador of France to Greece.
In his letter, he stresses that the cathedral plays an important role for the Church and has a wider meaning.
He further says that the cathedral is a micrograph of the visible and invisible cosmos. It is a sign or symbol of what the eyes cannot see.
“The Notre-Dame Cathedral, which dominates the skies of Paris, is in the heart and the memory of the Parisians. The cathedral is strictly linked to the history of France and its national conscience. It was under the sound of its bell that the liberation of Paris from the occupation of the Nazi regime was announced on August 24, 1944. 25 years later, it was the place where the funeral of the leader of the French resistance, General Charles De Gaulle, took place.
The Virgin Mary of Paris will be engraved on the pages of French literature and will be a source of inspiration for a number of writers such as Gérard de Nerval, Théophile Gautiér, Charles Péguy, Luis Aragon, Victor Hugo.
Today, Notre-Dame of Paris became Notre-Dame of tears after the devastating fire that destroyed a section of it.
We know, however, that the flame of faith, the flame of the Christian heart, love in history, and respect for the sacred relics associated with the history and struggles of the French people will make the Notre-Dame to raise from its ashes, inspiring and lighting the souls of faithful and spiritual people.
Even if there is sadness, caused by this disaster, there is hope for the Resurrection, namely the reconstruction of the cathedral.
We remain at your disposal.
Please accept, Sir, the assurance of my highest consideration.
† Agathangelos, Bishop of Fanari
Director General
Of the Apostoliki Diakonia of the Church of Greece “
