French Outraged about QR Codes to Enter Notre-Dame Cathedral

Visitors to Notre-Dame Cathedral have expressed outrage and irritation after those without a QR code were denied access.

Boos and groans rang out over the Île de la Cité, the island on which the Gothic masterpiece has stood since the 12th century when a looped loudspeaker announced: "If you do not have a QR code proving a reservation, you will not be allowed to enter."

The instruction contradicted Father Ribadeau Dumas, the rector-archpriest of Notre-Dame, who stated on December 2 that "there will always be a queue on the forecourt outside for those without a reservation."

French outraged over QR codes to enter Notre-Dame cathedral

Many of those standing in line were elderly Catholics who had no idea what a QR code was.

"It's all very unfair," said Tomasz Lewandowska, a 72-year-old retired civil servant who has visited the cathedral since he was in school.

In fact, the machine-readable QR codes were a source of preoccupation for Paris authorities during the coronavirus pandemic and last summer's Olympic Games, and they are now an integral part of Notre-Dame's continuous history.

"Due to the exceptional crowds, access is reserved for those with online reservations backed up by QR codes," said a spokesman for the cathedral, which used to welcome up to 10 million people each year.

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