00:00Did the Pope really snub Emmanuel Macron over Notre Dame's windows?
00:09Emmanuel Macron went viral last week for the iconic sunglasses he wore at the World Economic
00:15Forum in Davos.
00:16But the French President was also subject to viral claims of a different kind.
00:20This post, Onyx and many like it, claimed that Pope Leo cancelled a meeting that he
00:25was due to have with Macron in early January over his disapproval of the Notre Dame Cathedral's
00:30new stained glass windows.
00:32The Pope will allegedly remove the Archbishop of Paris from his seat because Notre Dame is
00:37the property of God rather than the state and says the atmosphere between France and
00:42the Vatican has become detestable and unhealthy.
00:45All this might sound dramatic, perhaps overly so, and that's because none of it is true.
00:51Notre Dame's Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs clearly rejected the claims on X,
00:55stating that the meeting is still being arranged.
00:58In a tongue-in-cheek response, it said that aligning the Pope and the President's agendas
01:02remains one of the greatest mysteries, and that they'd get a nice photo out of it when
01:07it does happen.
01:08The Vatican has said more or less the same thing, explaining that efforts to schedule a meeting
01:13are ongoing and that none of the issues raised online are the reason.
01:17Notre Dame's new stained glass windows have been the subject of controversy, though.
01:21Following the 2019 fire that destroyed much of the iconic cathedral, new windows were proposed
01:27as part of restoration efforts.
01:29Supporters say that the new designs represent Notre Dame's rebirth and reference traditional
01:34biblical stories in a contemporary style.
01:36Critics, however, argue that the windows clash with its historical character, denounce potential
01:42political influence by Macron, and claim that the windows don't need replacing as the original
01:47survived the fire.
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