A crowd of 40,000 huddles outside in the cold rain, unable to fit in the newly restored cathedral of Notre-Dame. Visitors have gathered in front of the building on December 7th, 2024 for its reopening ceremonies—made possible thanks to a tsunami of donations from all over the globe. Inside, world leaders pack the first rows of the pews: US President-elect Donald Trump, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, William, Prince of Wales, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Catholic clergy, firefighters, and donors—chosen by lottery—are also ushered inside to witness the reopening, inaugurated with a Catholic procession led by the Archbishop of Paris. Before the doors open and the mass begins, the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, is due to give a speech. But it was raining.