A small group of 30 Catholic faithful wearing hardhats will celebrate the first mass after a devastating fire destroyed the roof of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The group will be kept in a cordoned off side chapel in the church, which is undergoing extensive restoration after the April 15 fire that destroyed its spire and much of its wooden roof. “It is a nice symbol. A very small group of people will attend and one can understand why as there are still major safety issues,” Culture Minister Franck Riester told Europe 1 radio, according to Reuters. Less than 10 percent of the $950 million pledged to restore the church has been received, the French Government said in a separate statement. President Emanuele Macron had promised the church would be rebuilt within five years.
