this is they don't it is life from birth in the church bells across france ring out in tribute to the north for down just minutes from that cathedral bells across the country will chime together expressing the solidarity of emotion of a nation still coming to terms with monday's devastating fire. i'm still going welcome to the program my words from across france will ring out in

tributes to not shut down the country's beloved gothic cathedral was gutted by a massive fire on monday night president macro convened a special cabinet meeting today to discuss an ambitious reconstruction plan he says he wants the church restored to its former glory within five years well we're going to bring that to you live here on that date just ahead that's let's introduce you to our guests luke andre is a freelance journalist for the opinio and radio france and that been. responded lisa lewis has been reporting from paris during the last few days and joins us again from the french a couple outside not to welcome a both let's start with you lisa tell us a bit about what we'll go to see and hear over the next few minutes. through . looks like we're having

a few technical problems with the sounds to parts we'll see if we can bring that to you very shortly ahead of that let's talk to you look all right so this is breen i very emotional good for france yes. the french people are not the most religious europeans as we can see in a lot of polls or surveys not true there is a symbol of an iconic symbol for their history and the ties to the region so to cut the pictures of the countries the place where. good and bad moments where celebrated in. the recent and in recent years as in the past still people are going to get a look at this and say well it's a beautiful building and that is just behind us. good people have been speaking to who'd who are not french it's just a building a big building burned down while people so upset. because france is

a centralistic state that's the main of the main religion is there since almost thousand years. under the miner it is but it's it's in center of the capital. it's an iconic symbol as if i feel tower for the french capital so it's as we stated to the image of paris. where were you how did you hear about the. text message on your pushes on the cell phone. and a lot of people experienced. yeah it was a bit surprised surprise i knew they were inefficient works going on since a couple of months is and you never know some kind of accidents happened and the reaction has been quite extraordinary international as well did that surprise you

a bit yes well as you said it's a building that's burning down i was not expecting the press everywhere and the world would. speak about it but france is the most visited country in the world and those lot of people have been there and are sitting also these buildings you. literally literature and movies you know and so when when you spoken to bridges as a getting you you have what sort of riches have you been hearing from my sisters living there just a few blocks away and she is a bit of noise saying there's a. big crowd standing by the building which in the fire of men's doing their work on the monday or paying tribute to people. praying on the street and then we did two knees on the ground. it's not

a scene you see every day and sent off paris. and now of course today yesterday the president talked about wanting this being to be rebuilt within five days there were millions of euros being pledged being promised yesterday. people can look at that i think well the catholic church has lots of money and this is an old building that was probably insured where's all this money going to go all the defining legal twist is that this building is owned by the french states since nine eleven every. big part of the we're going to go we're going to go there to listen to the bells now as they ring out across france.

luke luke. luke.

with looking. strasburg people this is a building up there and there is never a bell that's a ringing it's only for a very special occasion and this one is the one they are announced this morning that's is vishal bell will ring tonight's express they. decide that it's only there it's a risky or even paris. can move me so we'll stay on this for a moment and there was this thing which of the churches ok this is an event that's being held across the country yes. i know when i was by the catholic church. yes this is. the bishops conference we had to come back on the on the financial issue since then. more than one hundred years ago the church and the state as agreements that separate they the. that's the. the

region and the states are going to for the ways and the french that caused a lot of churches owns a lot of churches since then so therefore culturally church was pretty quick to say that's not our business that's the french state building so they have. to repair it and. but still there are some criticism. because as you say it's the catholic church and especially in france is there rich and kurds could afford at least to co-found the restoration of the church. i mean with the religious oh oh no there's a magnificent building. that's also there the issue for for the government it's also a building from the national on that national importance is not only. a place of religion. but still they decided to. give it their are going to

resist and for people who want donation to rebuild the church if you give to nestle station that is from public interest you get the part of the money back when you raise your taxes and they want to raise the rates because they were changed venues no. where will.

and. lives and hundreds just. in terms of it.

and.

try again soon that for us to paris and bring in that data because when it's on lease and there said lisa at how did this set events come so come to be. well actually the catholic bishops conference actually organized the national catholic church they said they wanted to show solidarity with the dam and had all the cathedrals across france ring their bells at eight hundred fifty the exact moment of the start of the fire here about two days ago well exactly two days ago actually just to show that there was standing together and to what extent this church is important for france and one of the french been so emotional about this for. well this is kind of the heart they feel that this is the heart of their

culture it's a foundation for them one person told me you know if we don't have a foundation what do we build our culture on our cultural heritage as well this is a symbol for paris it's a symbol for france when people here not dumb they think you know this is paris this france this is romantic and obviously also because of its history it's been there for more than eight hundred years and it's gone through you know it's survived the french revolution and survived two book war so many people couldn't believe actually when it was burning two days ago many people told me you know i was seeing the pictures on t.v. and i was just sitting there for hours and hours and then eventually they would go to bed at midnight or one o'clock in the morning but fearing that when they would wake up in the morning that the cathedral would just be gone luckily it's still there. as you were speaking we saw the work of people behind us all also lots of people walking around what sadness fear there like. people have been listening in

not busy to this ringing of bells around here there is not that much to hear my say because obviously the bell that not for them wasn't raining but i was talking to other people early on they said years of obviously we were listening this is important this is a really nice show of solidarity and they want to show their respect to not to damn over the past two days many people have come here to this area around not for them because the cathedral is still cordoned off quite quietly but many people have come here and just you know still. look set the cathedral just to check it's still there actually. we're coming to you and so we're just we're just listen in to the final minutes or so of what's going on that in paris ok looks like we have finished with the bowels of that house so look andrea here with me where we were making the.