HONG KONG (SE): People gathered for a special Mass, concelebrated by Father Dominic Chan Chi-ming together with the chaplain to French-speaking community, Father Rémy Kurowski, for Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral, in France, on Apri 16 at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception, Caine Road, a day after the ancient church was ravaged by a fire.
 
Father Bruno Lepeu of the Paris Foreign Missions, who was in Paris when the fire occurred, told the Kung Kao Po that he was saddened by what happened and found it hard to believe. Father Lepeu, who was ordained at Notre Dame 26 years ago, recounted that he saw many people going near to the cathedral to pray and watch. 
 
On the other hand, he said it was a relief that no deaths were reported and that the structure of the 800-year-old building was intact, even though it took 15 hours to be put out the fire and a few firefighters were reportedly seriously injured. 
 
He said the fact that catastrophe happened during the Holy Week helped people to remember the trials of Jesus and our hope for resurrection.
 
Notre Dame de Paris, was built in the 13th century and receives almost 13 million visitors every year, more than the Eiffel Tower. 
 
More than US$1 billion ($7.8 billion) has been pledged towards restoring the cathedral, according to a May 5 report by Crux.