Notre-Dame fire: Romanian ambassador Niculescu expects strong show of solidarity to restore cathedral

Romanian ambassador to France Luca Niculescu believes that in the next period there will be a strong show of solidarity for the restoration of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris damaged by a raging fire, and that the famous monument will be reborn.

Niculescu on Tuesday talked with Radio France International (RFI) about seeing the cathedral burning, about the great anxiety that engulfed people and pointed out that the building did not suffer irreparable damage and that it would soon be rebuilt.

"I saw the cathedral burning. The walls were illuminated by the flames from inside, the walls and the stained glass. And I also saw thousands of people silently standing and staring at what was happening, I saw tears in the eyes of some. I saw some sort of ash pouring down from the skies. There was anxiety, very big anxiety and I saw that the anxiety has spread all over the world. On the other hand, the cathedral did not suffer irreparable damage, that is, the cathedral is still standing. The cathedral will not collapse (...) This is the time when the cathedral has to be cooled, an operation that will take a few days to complete, but the cathedral will be reborn," said Niculescu.

He added that there will be a strong show of solidarity for the reconstruction of the cathedral, which he says is a symbol of Christianity, a monument in the world's heritage.

"It is a symbol of Christianity, it is a symbol of France, it is a symbol of Europe, it is a monument of the world's heritage. I think there is no human who does not have his or her own story with Notre-Dame, whether it is just a picture before the cathedral, whether it's the novels they have read, the movies they have seen, the opera they have watched or the music from the Notre-Dame they have listened to. There will certain be a strong show of solidarity and deservedly so. I was reading and listening to messages all this morning on the radio, on television and on Twitter: everyone is talking about the need for reconstruction and we are likely to witness a moment of national solidarity as it happened after the terrorist attacks a few years ago," Niculescu told RFI.

The fire that broke out late Monday afternoon and devastated part of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris is completely "extinguished," the spokesman for the local fire brigade announced on Tuesday morning, as reported by the AFP news agency.