Press Release
The Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral wishes to reaffirm the unchanged position of the Catholic Church in France regarding the free access to churches and cathedrals.
The principle of free access to cathedrals and churches is grounded in both the provisions of the 1905 law separating Church and State and in the fundamental mission of churches: to welcome every man and woman unconditionally, and therefore necessarily free of charge, regardless of their religion or belief, opinions, or financial means.
At Notre-Dame, pilgrims and visitors have never been separated: services are held during visiting hours, and visits continue during services. Implementing differentiated access for one group or the other would, as seen elsewhere in Europe, lead to a physical division that would deprive both pilgrims and visitors of the unity which is the essence of the place. This would prevent them from experiencing the monument fully and appreciating its infinite beauty. Moreover, such a separation would be extremely challenging to implement practically: given the relative narrowness of the space, it would be difficult to distinguish between visitors, pilgrims, and worshippers.
Notre-Dame de Paris also remembers that among the same visitors who are now proposed to be charged, many have already shown their unwavering attachment to Notre-Dame by fully funding the historic restoration project of the building. Here too, a new distinction would inevitably arise.
Preserving religious heritage in France is a cause dear to many hearts, believers and non-believers alike, and it deserves a collective reflection where the solution should not be singular. Other avenues can be explored than the one that involves taxing Notre-Dame’s visitors with a fee that is far from trivial and would inevitably deter some people from visiting a cathedral that, by its nature, should remain open to all.
This press release is available in PDF format (French).
