The Notre Dame of China Church, located in a Chinese neighborhood in Paris, aims to be a focal point for the approximately 3,000 Chinese Catholics in the French capital.
The inaugural ceremony, in French and Chinese, was presided over by Paris Archbishop André Vingt-Trois.
In his homily the archbishop recalled the heroism with which Chinese Catholics have long lived their faith.
The altar is built on a base of earth brought from various provinces of China.
The pastor, Chinese-born Father Jean Ma, thanked the archbishop, as well as his predecessor, Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, who had supported the project for the new church.
