Stars, heads of state, solemn rituals and high-security celebrations for Notre Dame's reopening

PARIS (AP) — The reopening of Notre Dame this coming weekend is going to be a high-security affair, with a repeat of some measures used during the Paris Olympics and the sealing-off to tourists of the cathedral's island location in the heart of the French capital.

After more than five years of reconstruction following the fire that devastated Notre Dame in 2019, invite-only ceremonies Saturday and Sunday will usher in its rebirth.

Police chief Laurent Nuñez said only people with invitations and the island's residents will have access to the Ile de la Cité in the middle of the River Seine, which includes Notre Dame and habitually hums with tourists.

He said about 50 heads of state and government are expected and that security arrangements are drawing on the police measures that sealed off large sections of central Paris for the Paris Games' flamboyant opening ceremony.

“A very high level of security will be applied," Nuñez said in an interview published Monday in Le Parisien.

The first celebrations starting Saturday afternoon will blend religious ritual and showbiz. Paris Archbishop Laurent Ulrich will preside at a reopening service, banging on Notre Dame's shuttered doors with his staff to reopen them, the cathedral website says.

The archbishop will also symbolically reawaken Notre Dame's thunderous grand organ. The fire that melted the cathedral's lead roofing coated the huge instrument in toxic dust. Its 8,000 pipes, ranging in size from that of a pen to over 10 meters (33 feet) tall, have been painstakingly disassembled, cleaned, and retuned.

There will also be psalms, prayers and singing. French President Emmanuel Macron will attend and address the VIP guests.

After the service, opera singers Pretty Yende, from South Africa, and Julie Fuchs, from France; Chinese pianist Lang Lang; cellist Yo-Yo Ma; Benin-born singer Angelique Kidjo; Lebanese singer Hiba Tawaji and others will perform at a concert Saturday evening for the cathedral and those who took part in the reconstruction, says the show's broadcaster, France Télévisions.

The security cordon sealing off the whole of the Ile de La Cité, plus a stretch of the Seine's southern bank and nine of its bridges, will be in place from early Saturday evening to Sunday night, the police chief said. Only those involved in the ceremonies and residents will be granted access, he said. All shops on the island — many are geared to the tourist trade — as well as boat tours that start and stop there will be closed for the weekend, he added.

The Paris archbishop will also lead an inaugural Mass and consecration of the new altar on Sunday morning.

Nearly 170 bishops from France and other countries will join the celebration, as well as priests from all 106 parishes in the Paris diocese, the cathedral website says.

It says Mass will be followed by a “fraternal buffet” for the needy.

Public viewing areas capable of holding 40,000 people will be set up on the Seine’s southern bank, so spectators can follow the two days of events on screens, the police chief said.

For more of AP’s coverage on Notre Dame, visit https://apnews.com/hub/notre-dame-cathedral

A view of part of a bas-relief outside Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024 in Paris. (Stephane de Sakutin/Pool via AP)

A statue is seen inside Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral while French President Emmanuel Macron visits the restored interiors of the monument, Friday Nov. 29, 2024, in Paris. (Stephane de Sakutin, Pool via AP)

The nave of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral is seen while French President Emmanuel Macron visits the restored interiors of the monument, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024 in Paris. (Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool via AP)

The Crown of thorns inside the reliquary of the Crown of Thorns designed by French Artist Sylvain Dubuisson is seen in of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral while French President Emmanuel Macron visits the restored interiors of the monument, Friday Nov. 29, 2024, in Paris. (Stephane de Sakutin, Pool via AP)

A base under the arrow is seen inside Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral while French President Emmanuel Macron visits the restored interiors of the monument, Friday Nov. 29, 2024, in Paris. (Stephane de Sakutin, Pool via AP)

Stained glass windows are seen inside Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral while French President Emmanuel Macron visits the restored interiors of the monument, Friday Nov. 29, 2024, in Paris. (Stephane de Sakutin, Pool via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech to construction workers inside the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral after visiting the restored interiors of the monument, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024 in Paris. (Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool via AP)

The main entrance of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral is pictured after French President Emmanuel Macron visited the restored interiors of the monument, Friday Nov. 29, 2024, in Paris. (Stephane de Sakutin, Pool via AP)

The reliquary of the Crown of Thorns, designed by French Artist Sylvain Dubuisson, is seen in the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024 in Paris. (Christophe Petit Tesson/Pool via AP)

The altar designed by French artist and designer Guillaume Bardet is seen in the heart of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral while French President Emmanuel Macron visits the restored interiors of the monument, Friday Nov. 29, 2024, in Paris. (Stephane de Sakutin, Pool via AP)

LONDON (AP) — The British government's culture secretary has held talks with the BBC as the broadcaster comes under growing scrutiny after one of its TV hosts drew an angry backlash for dismissing sexual misconduct allegations.

Gregg Wallace, a long-time co-presenter on the cooking contest show “Masterchef,” is facing allegations from multiple women that he made inappropriate sexual comments and behaved inappropriately on set over 17 years.

Wallace, 60, said last week he was stepping away from the show while an investigation was launched into his alleged behavior. But his case received further attention Sunday, when he said in a social media post that the complaints came from “a handful of middle-class women of a certain age."

He added that he had worked on “Masterchef” with thousands of contestants “of all different ages, all different backgrounds, all walks of life” for two decades and “there's been 13 complaints in that time.”

His comments angered some of the women who made complaints against him. A spokesman for Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office described Wallace's remarks as “completely inappropriate and misogynistic.”

The spokesperson said Monday that Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy was seeking assurances from the BBC that the publicly funded broadcaster handled such complaints about workplace culture properly.

The BBC has faced questions on how it handles sexual misconduct allegations and how Wallace had continued to front some of its most popular shows for so long despite the complaints.

Television presenter Aggie MacKenzie, who competed on “Celebrity Masterchef” in 2011, told ITV on Monday that Wallace made “endless smutty jokes” and alleged that “he’s been allowed to carry on in his own sweet way for many, many years.”

She said his comments about his accusers illustrate “how he just has no insight or understanding of how he behaves. He just doesn’t get it.”

Others have alleged that Wallace undressed in front of women working on his shows, made comments about his sex life or made women uncomfortable with sexualized jokes during filming.

The BBC reported that 13 people who worked with Wallace over a range of shows have complained about inappropriate sexual comments from him over 17 years.

It reported that Wallace was warned by his employers after a complaint in 2018, and an internal investigation at the time found his behavior was “unacceptable and unprofessional."

Wallace’s lawyers have denied that he “engages in behavior of a sexually harassing nature.”

The BBC, which has said it has “robust processes” to deal with the issue, declined to comment on Wallace's case because of the ongoing investigation by “Masterchef”'s production company.

FILE - Gregg Wallace at Tramshed in London, Thursday Feb. 16, 2017. (Yui Mok/PA via AP, File)