Notre Dame: From Tragedy Comes Hope

Tragedies such as the Notre Dame fire are never a good thing.

But the outpouring of support for this remarkable symbol of Paris and France, and the almost immediate pledges of support from around the world, are a heartwarming story that brings a glimmer of sunshine to a world that could certainly use it.

Authorities suggest it could take 10 to 40 years for Notre Dame to be returned to its former glory, but there appears little doubt it will actually happen. French President Emmanuel Macron said he wants the cathedral restored by the time Paris hosts the Summer Olympics in 2024.

"We'll rebuild Notre-Dame even more beautifully and I want it to be completed in five years, we can do it," Macron said in a Tuesday night address to the people of France.

Within hours of the flames being extinguished, four major French companies pledged a combined 600 million Euros ($904 million CAD) to help get the building restored. Other donations put the total amount pledged at more than $1 billion CAD.

French billionaire businessman Bernard Arnault’s family and his LVMH luxury goods group said they would donate 200-million euros to help repair the cathedral. French luxury and cosmetics group L’Oreal, along with the Bettencourt Meyer family and the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation, will donate the same amount.

Reports said Francois Henri Pinault, who heads the Kering luxury goods company, pledged 100-million euros through his Artemis holding. Total, a French oil company, also said it will kick in 100 million Euros.

The BBC reports that a spokesperson for the crowdfunding platform Go Fund Me said more than 50 campaigns related to the cathedral fire had been launched as of Tuesday afternoon.

Benjamin Smith, CEO of Air France-KLM, along with other airline officials, said Air France will provide free transportation for all official partners helping restore the 850-year-old cathedral, a symbol of both Catholicism and France itself.

Smith, a former top executive with Air Canada, said the airline also set up a voluntary donations fund for its customers to help finance the reconstruction work.

In a story posted on the CBC website, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo “expressed gratitude that a significant collection of artwork and holy objects kept inside the Catholic church had been recovered.

But amid that optimism, it's not yet known what has become of many items listed on the cathedral's website as "the masterpieces of Notre-Dame," which include centuries-old statues, stained glass, organs and bells,” the CBC said.

French President Emmanuel Macron is asking the world's "greatest talents" to help.

"Let's be proud, because we built this cathedral more than 800 years ago. We've built it and, throughout the centuries, let it grow and improved it, so I solemnly say tonight: we will rebuild it together," he said.

"Notre-Dame is our history, our literature, part of our psyche, the place of all our great events, our epidemics, our wars, our liberations, the epicentre of our lives," Macron told reporters in front of the still-burning Paris landmark.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.