PARIS (AP) – The White House says the bells of Notre Dame cathedral “will sound again.”
Press secretary Sarah Sanders says President Donald Trump offered his condolences Tuesday to French President Emmanuel Macron over the fire that caused major damage to the iconic building. She says America stands with the French, the city of Paris and millions of visitors from around the world who seeks solace at the cathedral.
Sanders adds that France is America’s oldest ally and that Americans remember “with grateful hearts” the tolling of Notre Dame’s bells the day after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S.
She says “those bells will sound again” and closes her statement with “Vive la France!”
The extent of any damage to the bells and their support structure is unclear.
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has directed that One World Trade Center’s spire be lighted in the colors of the French flag in solidarity with the people of France and the Catholic community worldwide.
Cuomo says the lighting on Tuesday night will be a tribute to the fire-ravaged Notre Dame cathedral, “one of the world’s most sacred and celebrated religious monuments.”
The president of the University of Notre Dame said the school will donate $100,000 toward the renovation of Notre Dame cathedral following a devastating fire.
The Rev. John Jenkins announced the donation Tuesday, a day after the fire destroyed the cathedral’s spire and roof.
Jenkins says the bells of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the university’s campus in Indiana will toll 50 times Tuesday evening, to represent the 50 Hail Marys of the rosary and mark the start of the Paris cathedral’s rebuilding.
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