Director “ad interim” of the Holy See Press Office, Alessandro Gisotti, issued the following statement late on April 15, 2019:

The Holy See has received with shock and sadness the news of the terrible fire that devastated the Notre Dame Cathedral, the symbol of Christianity in France and worldwide. We express our closeness to the French Catholics and the population of Paris and assure you of our prayers for the firefighters and how many are doing their best to cope with this tragic situation.