The news that there may be an entrance fee to visit Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris when it reopens in December has caused much comment. But another factor that could cause consternation just as easily, if not more so, especially given recent events over the summer, is the type of ceremony surrounding the re-opening of one of the world's most famous Catholic cathedrals.
The Archdiocese of Paris spoke for the majority within the Catholic Church when it said in a statement that there should be no such fee because places of worship should “welcome unconditionally and therefore necessarily free of charge every man and woman, regardless of their religion or belief, their opinions and their financial means”.
