Year: 2019

Paris, France, Apr 16, 2019 / 08:00 pm (CNA).- When the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Parish caught fire Monday, most predicted the worst. It seemed unlikely the structure could survive, or that some of the treasures inside might be saved.

Indeed, a full two-thirds of the cathedral’s roof was destroyed in the blaze, as was the famous spire. But despite the images of devastation, the cathedral’s main structure has been saved, along with many of its most priceless contents.

Even as firefighters worked to extinguish the last of the flames early Tuesday morning, there was already a massive commitment of resources dedicated to the rebuilding of one of the world’s most recognizable churches.

Before the fire was out, French president Emmanual Macron committed himself and the nation to rebuilding Notre-Dame, and he announced a fundraising effort to ensure its success. In response, by Tuesday afternoon more than 700 million euros had been pledged to the project.

Bernard Arnault, CEO of luxury fashion company LVMH and the third richest man in the world, has pledged 300 million euros in support, with other major figures in business and finance making similar commitments.

President Macron has said that he hopes that work can begin as soon as possible, offering the possibility of some kind of reopening in as soon as five years. While talk of a reopening appeared unthinkable to many just hours ago, Paris firefighters are now confident that the main cathedral structure has been saved, and the stonework remains sound.

While the images of the exterior suggested nearly total devastation, inside the cathedral’s vaulted stone ceiling mostly held, and protected many of the cathedral’s religious and historical treasures from the flames.

Notre-Dame de Paris is home to several irreplaceable relics, most notably the crown of thorns, a piece of the true cross, and one of the nails used in the crucifixion. There are also many relics of French saints.

While a final inventory of what survived the fire may take weeks to compile, much good news has already been announced.

Relics and art were saved

Despite the speed with which the fire appeared to spread across the cathedral, a standing emergency plan was in place to save the most important relics and artwork in case of a disaster, and it appears as though that plan was largely executed effectively.

The majority of the relics were rescued from the fire in what the Paris mayor described as a “formidable human chain.”

Fr. Jean-Marc Fournier, the chaplain of the Paris Fire Department, accompanied firefighters into the cathedral to rescue the crown of thorns and the Blessed Sacrament from the tabernacle.

There were, however, several relics stored in the spire of the cathedral, including one of the thorns from the crown of thorns. These are believed to have been destroyed along with the spire.

The Rose Windows survived

As images of the fire spread, many assumed to worst for the cathedral’s three stained glass gothic rose windows. Dating from the 1200s, the windows are some of the most recognizable images not just of Notre-Dame but of Gothic architecture, still containing some glass from their original construction.

Initial reports all but assumed their destruction severe damage in the fire, with many fearing that the lead used to set the windows must melted due to the heat, or that the glass would have been shattered by the water pumped in to try to control the blaze.

Despite these fears, pictures published Tuesday appear to show all three windows are intact. They will be inspected for any damage, but appear to be relatively unscathed.

The organ was untouched

The cathedral’s grand organ, which was built in the fifteenth century, was not touched by the flames. While it is not yet known if it remains in playable condition, it may have been damaged by the firefighting efforts, hopes for restoration were given a significant boost by the news.

The altar and cross are still standing

In what has become one of the more breathtaking images of the cathedral’s destruction, the gold cross behind the main altar remained standing throughout the inferno. The area around the altar appears to be relatively untouched, and some photos even show rows of chairs still neatly stacked.

The bells and bell towers are intact

As emergency responders worked to fight the blaze, firefighters warned that there was an imminent risk that fire could compromise the north belfry of Notre-Dame’s historic front edifice. The overwhelming danger, they warned, was that the main bell could crash through the body of the building, fatally compromising the stonework.

At one point, officials said there was only a 90 minute window to save the towers. These efforts were successful.

The main bell, dubbed “Emmanuelle,” has served as a national punctuation for historic moments. It has rung to mark the coronation of kings and emperors and the end of two world wars.

Despite the outpouring of support and public commitment of political will, there is not yet a timetable or cost estimate for the extensive repairs. However, with the entire cathedral feared to be a loss just hours ago, the amount that was saved is being hailed as victory and progress in itself.

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Aberdeen, Scotland, Apr 16, 2019 / 06:01 pm (CNA).- A pro-life student group at the University of Aberdeen filed a lawsuit Friday against the university and its student association after it was blocked from affiliating because of its pro-life stance.

In October the Aberdeen University Students’ Association prevented the affiliation of the Aberdeen Life Ethics Society, citing its own pro-choice policy. The move limits Ale’s access to funds and venues at the university.

Ales filed suit in the Aberdeen Sheriff Court April 12 “alleging unlawful discrimination against the society and the violation of rights protected by UK law.”

Alex Mason, spokesperson for Ales, said April 14: “The past several months of obstructions and delays have been frustrating, but they have served to strengthen our resolve to see this unlawful policy repealed. The pro-life position may be an unpopular minority opinion on this campus, but it is fully protected by law.”

“The right to speak freely must be equally applied to all students, not just to those who already agree with the majority opinion,” Mason added.

The lawsuit requests that the court find Ausa’s “deplatforming pro-life student societies” incompatible with equality and human right laws.

Ales also asks that the court recommend it be affiliated to the student association “complete with the benefits and privileges that other societies enjoy.”

The pro-life group announced the rejection of its application for affiliation Oct. 19, 2018, saying: “We were rejected because the Student Council passed a policy in November 2017 declaring AUSA to be ‘pro-choice’ and pledging to ‘no-platform’ any society that opposes abortion. Since our proposed society is unashamedly pro-life, we have been banned from affiliating.”

The pro-life group said that the pro-choice policy is “being used as political cover to ban student speech on campus, it also treats the student body as undivided on the issue of abortion.”

Ausa has cited its pro-choice policy, adopted in November 2017, as the basis for its decision. The policy says, in part, that “Ausa should oppose the unreasonable display of pro-life material within campus and at Ausa events.”

Ales has said April 14 that its “repeated efforts to resolve this problem through internal bureaucratic channels were to no avail.”

It claimed that after a two-month delay, the university administration declined to intervene with Ausa, “suggesting we appeal” to the student association.

“We appealed to AUSA on the grounds that its no platform policy is a violation of both the Equality Act 2010 and the Human Rights Act 1998 insofar as it restricts the freedoms of association and belief for certain students on the basis of an ideological litmus test. We urged AUSA’s Board of Trustees to exercise its constitutional ability to rescind any policy it deems to be in breach of the law.”

Ales said that the board “informed us last week that they would not repeal the policy” but would recommend that the student council do so.

The pro-life group also said it has twice submitted motions to the student body to allow its affiliation, but “on both occasions … our motions were decisively defeated by the students in attendance.”

“It was disconcerting to watch our fellow students affirm and uphold our legal disenfranchisement, but it serves as proof that student democracy at Aberdeen is broken, serving only to insulate students from dissenting opinions.”

Ales stated that “at this point, all good faith avenues for resolution have been exhausted and ALES is now forced to turn to the legal system for restitution and vindication.”

Ausa has stated that it cannot comment on Ales’ legal action, but that the group “were invited to re-apply for affiliation as an Ausa society, with the reassurance that the application would be treated in the same way as any other,” but that “no application has been received.”

A spokesperson for the the University of Aberdeen commented that it is “an inclusive community and recognises different beliefs, values and cultures.”

Pro-life groups at other Scottish universities have faced similar problems.

Last year the the University of Strathclyde (in Glasgow) lifted a similar ban on pro-life groups, following legal pressure. Strathclyde Sudents for Life argued that the student associaton’s no platforming policy violated the Equality Act 2010 “by directly discriminating against a group of students based on their beliefs.”

Glasgow Students for Life were barred from affiliation by the Glasgow University’s Students’ Representative Council last November.

In March 2018 a joint committee on human rights of the UK parliament noted troubling barriers to free speech at the nation’s universities, writing: “Whilst the original intention behind safe space policies may have been to ensure that minority or vulnerable groups can feel secure, in practice the concept of safe spaces has proved problematic, often marginalising the views of minority groups.”

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Paris, France, Apr 16, 2019 / 04:21 pm (CNA).- Following a massive fire that engulfed Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Monday, the church’s three iconic rose windows were unharmed, French reports have confirmed.

One of the most recognizable imag… […]

Paris, France, Apr 16, 2019 / 12:00 pm (CNA).- Father Pierre Amar was praying in Notre-Dame de Paris at 5 p.m. Monday evening to prepare spiritually for the Easter Triduum; hours later he was ringing the “funeral bells” at his parish to mourn the flames consuming the “mother of all the cathedrals in France.”

Hearing the bells, Amar’s parishioners came to their church in Versailles, to pray the rosary together as Notre-Dame burned.

“The Cathedral of Notre-Dame has a particular place in our hearts and in our history,” Father Amar told CNA April 16. “It is hard to find my words because the emotion is so great.”

“This morning at Mass, we prayed to the Blessed Virgin Mary … ‘Mary, dry our tears’,” he said. “We are so sad; France is mourning its cathedral.”

Father Joseph Koczera was having dinner in Paris with fellow priests when he heard the news.

“We were all in shock,” he said. “We all felt a sense of despair, seeing images of the cathedral in flames and fearing that it would be completely destroyed.”

“I walked down to the Île de la Cité to join the many Parisians who were there watching the cathedral burn. What struck me when I arrived was the atmosphere of prayer and reflection: many were singing the Ave Maria in French, and many were kneeling in prayer,” Koczera, an American priest based in Paris, told CNA.

“Some were crying, but there was a palpable sense of Christian hope, a sense that this beloved church would be saved and would experience a kind of physical resurrection,” he said.

While greatly damaged, the main structure of Notre-Dame, including much of its interior vaulted ceiling remained intact as firefighters worked late into the night to put out the flames.

Father Pierre-Hervé Grosjean of the Archdiocese of Paris shared a photo revealing the extent of the damage to the main alter on Twitter April 16.

“Inside Notre-Dame de Paris, in the midst of rubble, the cross is there. Standing. It seems intact. Painful and luminous at the same time. Victorious over evil. Not far, Mary is there, her statue is always a witness. This image is worth all the homilies,” Grosjean reflected in French.

Another Parisian priest, Father Franck Derville wrote on Twitter, “140 years ago (April 16, 1879) died St. Bernadette of Lourdes, to whom the Virgin – #NotreDame – said: ‘I do not promise to make you happy in this world, but in the other.’”

Originally built between the twelfth through fourteenth centuries, the landmark cathedral in the French capital is one of the most recognizable churches in the world, receiving more than 12 million visitors each year.

“I think it’s difficult to sum up the importance of Notre-Dame de Paris in just a few words. It’s not just a tourist attraction; it’s a place of prayer, where ordinary people from all walks of life go each day for Mass or confession or simply to pray privately,” Father Koczera explained.

Father Amar summed up its importance, “I can say that Notre-Dame is France, and France is Notre-Dame.”

“The Cathedral of Paris is the witness of our history, not only the history of the Catholic Church in France, but the history of France,” Amar continued.

“For example, at the liberation of Paris in 1944 when the Americans came with the French army in Paris in August 1944, we had the Magnificat sung in the Cathedral of Paris,” he said.

“Notre-Dame is, in a way, the summit of Christendom or at least it symbolizes the 12th century — the century of cathedrals, the century of St. Thomas Aquinas. In a way I think this event, and I pray for this, should help us to become more aware of our Christen heritage and to realize that we all need conversion,” Father Carlos Hamel told CNA.

Father Hamel, who has lived in France for the past nine years, said that he is praying for this tragedy to “reawaken” the faith in France.

“I wouldn’t be surprised, really, that this happening just before the Triduum will cause more people coming to Mass next weekend,” Hamel said.

The Archdiocese of Paris announced April 16 that all of the Holy Week liturgies scheduled to occur Notre-Dame this week will occur in Saint Sulpice, the second largest church in Paris.

Saint Sulpice was also damaged by fire one month ago, a fire that the Vienna-based Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe reported was started deliberately on its large wooden door.

Each of the priests commented that the Notre-Dame fire has encouraged a greater sense of unity throughout the country.

“Notre-Dame de Paris remains a potent national symbol for many French people, whether they are religious believers or not. It is telling that, in the hours after the fire started, political leaders and public figures from left to right and across the ideological spectrum were unanimous in declaring that the cathedral should be rebuilt and that no expense should be spared to make that happen,” Father Koczera commented.

“It seems that Notre-Dame de Paris remains a symbol that the people of France can unite around, regardless of their personal beliefs,” he added.

Father Amar that the event caused fellow countrymen to “discover our unity and human fraternity” at a time when the “climate in France is not so peaceful.”

The French priest said that as he walked along streets in the local Church in his collar Tuesday, many strangers approached him and said things like, “Father, we are with you,” and “I am not Catholic, but we are so touched for you, for France.”

“It gave me a lot of joy,” Amar reflected. “We lost an edifice, but we have discovered, this morning, the unity of our country.”

“Notre-Dame. It means ‘Our Lady,’ not ‘The Lady of France.’ Our Lady is for everybody – Christian people, believers, non-believers — everyone is welcome in the heart of Notre-Dame,” Amar said.

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