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In this April 26, 2019 file photo, a worker checks the waterproof tarps on Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. The billionaire French donors that publicly promised flashy donations totalling hundreds of millions to restore Notre Dame, have not yet paid a penny toward the restoration of the French national monument, according to church and business officials. Instead, it's mainly American citizens that have footed the bills and paid salaries for the up to 150 workers employed by the cathedral since the April 15 fire. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)
PARIS (AP) - The Notre Dame cathedral in Paris held its first Mass on Saturday since the April 15th fire that ravaged the edifice's roof and caused its masterpiece spire to collapse.
Exactly two months after the devastating blaze engulfed the Gothic building, the service for a small audience was celebrated by Paris archbishop Michel Aupetit in a chapel located behind the choir, a place confirmed as safe.
Culture minister Franck Riester said this week the cathedral remains in a "fragile" state, especially the vault, which is still at risk of collapsing.
For security reasons, only about 30 people - mainly priests, canons and church employees - were admitted inside the cathedral, while Aupetit and others wore construction worker's helmets. Some of the workers hired to rebuild the church were also invited.
Other worshippers were able to watch the Mass on a Catholic TV station that broadcast the service live.
The annual Dedication Mass commemorated the cathedral's consecration as a place of worship.
"This cathedral is a place of worship, it is its very own and unique and unique purpose," Aupetit said.
It is still unclear when the cathedral will reopen to the public.
French President Emmanuel Macron has set a goal of rebuilding it in just five years, which many experts consider unrealistic. In the meantime, the French parliament is debating amendments to a new law that would create a public body to expedite the restoration of the cathedral and circumvent some of France's complex labor laws.
In this May 15, 2019 file photo, a worker stands on scaffolding during preliminary work inside the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral, in Paris. The billionaire French donors that publicly promised flashy donations totalling hundreds of millions to restore Notre Dame, have not yet paid a penny toward the restoration of the French national monument, according to church and business officials. Instead, it's mainly American citizens that have footed the bills and paid salaries for the up to 150 workers employed by the cathedral since the April 15 fire. (Philippe Lopez/Pool via AP, File)
