Paris, France, May 16, 2019 / 19:00 pm
One month after a fire destroyed the roof and spire of the famous Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, the Archbishop of Paris released an update on reconstruction efforts and the donations received thus far.
Of the € 1 billion euros ($1.12 billion) publicly pledged in the emotional aftermath of the fire, only € 13.5 million has been collected so far, Archbishop Michel Aupetit of Paris said in a statement published on Wednesday, May 15.
But the reasons for this are "simple, the discussions are just starting to prepare conventions of private law. They will also serve as a framework for expressing the will of these major donors," Aupetit said.
Some of the major donors who have pledged the most money include French billionaire Francois-Henri Pinault, who pledged 100 million euros, and Bernard Arnault, who pledged 200 million euros, according to an NPR report. The owners of L'Oréal cosmetic company along with the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation pledged 200 million euros.