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Hungary offers help to repair damaged Notre Dame cathedral

PM Orbán said the cathedral was a symbol to every Christian and a “shared refuge of our faith”

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has expressed his sympathies over the Notre Dame fire.

The prime minister has sent a message of condolences to French President Emmanuel Macron and Archbishop Eric de Moulins-Beaufort of Reims, president of the French bishops’ conference, and wished for a speedy recovery for the damaged building.

PM Orbán said the cathedral was a symbol to every Christian and a “shared refuge of our faith”. The prime minister praised the “heroic efforts” of French firefighters in putting out the flames and “saving one of the symbols of European Christianity from complete devastation”.

PM Orbán wished France strength and asked for God’s blessing for the cathedral’s reconstruction.

Mayor István Tarlós said in a letter to Anne Hidalgo, his Parisian counterpart that Budapest is ready to contribute to the reconstruction of the Notre Dame cathedral.

“Notre Dame is an important symbol to us all and an important piece of universal Christian faith and culture,” Tarlós said in his letter. “With Easter approaching… unity and cohesion carry an even more important message,” the mayor added.

Yesterday we revealed how the city of Szeged had offered 10,000 Euros to help with the cathedral’s reconstruction. Other towns and cities across Hungary have also made pledges.