The rector of Notre Dame Cathedral says the Paris landmark is still so fragile after this year's fire that it might not be entirely saved.
Monsignor Patrick Chauvet told The Associated Press that reconstruction work probably won't start until 2021.
He says experts must first remove scaffolding that was on the cathedral before the fire, because the scaffolding is threatening the vaults.
He also spoke of his “heartache” at not being able to celebrate Christmas services inside Notre Dame for the first time in more than 200 years.
Its congregation, clergy and choir decamped to the Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois Church across from the Louvre Museum instead.
The 12th-century cathedral was under renovation at the time of the accidental April fire, which destroyed its roof and collapsed its spire.
One of the toughest parts of the cleanup effort is cutting down the 50,000 tubes of old scaffolding that crisscrossed the back of the edifice.
The rector estimated it would take another three years after that to make it safe enough for people to re-enter the cathedral, but that the full restoration will take longer.
President Emmanuel Macron has said he wants it rebuilt by 2024, when Paris hosts the Olympics, but experts have questioned whether that time frame is realistic.
(The Associated Press, CBS News contributed to this report.)
