Church bells to ring for Notre Dame

Thursday 18 April 2019

Church bells in Guernsey will be rung at 19:00 this evening in a show of solidarity with the people of France following the devastating fire at the Notre Dame cathedral.

The Town Church as well as Vale, Forest, St Stephen’s, St Saviour’s and St Martin’s are responding to a request by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to take part in the show of togetherness, which has been initiated by the British Ambassador to France, Edward Llewellyn.

The Dean of Guernsey, the Very Revd Tim Barker, said:

"It was heartbreaking to see pictures of the fire on Monday evening. So much shared faith, culture and history unites us to the people of France, perhaps even more in the Channel Islands that in the United Kingdom. As the stark horror of Holy Week is followed by the joy of resurrection on Easter Day, the restoration of Notre Dame will proclaim the triumph of hope over despair that is at the heart of the Christian faith."

French President Emmanuel Macron has said the historic 850-year old cathedral will be rebuilt in the next five years, with hundreds of millions of euros already pledged towards this goal. 

Pictured: St Saviour's Church is one of those that will ring its bells this evening.