Paris Lives Different Easter.. Honoring Firefighters for Notre Dame

This year, the Easter is different in France, as it comes days after a horrific blaze which destroyed the Notre Dame Cathedral.

The archbishop of Paris and Catholics from around France and the world honored the firefighters who saved Cathedral, praying Sunday at a special Easter Mass for a swift reconstruction of the beloved monument, AP reported.

The fire that engulfed Notre Dame during Holy Week forced worshippers to find other places to attend Easter services, and the Paris diocese invited them to join Sunday's Mass at the grandiose Saint-Eustache Church on the Right Bank of the Seine River.

Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit handed over a bible that had been rescued from Notre Dame to the firefighters, who held a place of honor at Sunday's service.

[caption id="attachment_45797" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Smoke billows as fire engulfs the spire of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris[/caption]

Aupetit thanked city officials for their support amid "the drama" of last Monday's fire, and "especially you, those for whom this Mass is dedicated" — the firefighters who struggled for nine hours to contain flames that consumed Notre Dame's roof and collapsed its spire.

He notably thanked fire service chaplain Jean-Marc Fournier, who saved the most precious thing for Catholics from the fire, the chalice containing consecrated hosts that for Catholics are the body of Christ.

Notre Dame's parishioners were joined by Catholics and others from around France and beyond. An Associated Press reporter heard at least six languages being spoken in the crowd.

Culture Minister Franck Riester said Sunday that most of the sensitive spots in the cathedral have been stabilized, including support structures above its prized rose windows.

"There remain some sensitive points in the vaulted ceiling, and so teams from the Culture Ministry, construction companies are working to remove the rubble that remains on the ceiling and progressively cover it up. And after that, we can say that the Notre Dame of Paris is saved," he said on France-2 television.