Monday night, 6 p.m. Eastern / Midnight in Paris
Notre-Dame de Paris, meaning “Our Lady of Paris,” is a medieval Catholic cathedral, a sacred space of splendid beauty symbolic of French Gothic architecture. Built during the 12th century and completed in 1345, the cathedral’s stone walls and oak spires have stood tall and majestic over the city of Paris, a familiar presence on its own separate island along the banks of the Seine river. This cathedral represents the hopes and dreams of everyone. It’s also been the inspiration of great literature, too.
“Great edifices, like great mountains, are the work of ages,” the author Victor Hugo wrote in “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.”
Regardless of one’s own faith, Notre-Dame has always opened its doors to people of all faiths and denominations. It is a vast and peaceful space filled with humility and pageantry, as well as relics, rites and rituals. Replete with its gigantic twin towers, 295-foot tall main spire, and flying buttresses, Notre-Dame has been a highly-identifiable symbol of Christianity – not only in the capital city of Paris and throughout France, but also worldwide, where it’s been a positive symbol for so many Catholic worshipers. This cathedral has been an essential place for spiritual renewal as well as a gathering place, too. Notre-Dame welcomes 30,000 visitors each day through its doors, about 13 million annually.
I’ve been privileged to visit Notre-Dame several times since 2000, to climb its bell towers and stand among its stone gargoyles – which provide a gorgeous and breathtaking view of Paris – to listen to organ concerts, and to worship in both French and English while sitting among the faithful in its sprawling pews.
Inside historic Notre-Dame, an abundance of beautiful art and artifacts that record so much of our religious history – and has been so magnificently restored and displayed – is likely gone from tonight’s horrific fire. Think of the architectural achievement of this cathedral; it’s something bigger than ourselves. Notre-Dame is one of the most recognizable places in the entire world. Now, much of its insides resemble a charred mess. I’m hopeful that the twin towers with their majestic bells can be saved. Late word from French fire officials seem to suggest they will.
I close my eyes, and inside Notre-Dame, I visualize the Nave, the many ornate side chapels, the majestic pipe organ with its 8,000 pipes unleashing joyful sounds. So much work by so many, so much history within its stone walls. Tonight, it is on the verge of being gone – during Holy Week of all times. Thank God, there doesn’t appear to be any injuries or loss of human life as far as we know. However, we must ask: How will the Catholic Church react? How will the world respond? Where will the cathedral’s parishioners celebrate Easter Mass on Sunday? Where will people go to congregate now?
Seeing Notre-Dame on fire Monday evening – even from across the Atlantic Ocean while watching via CNN International and on MSNBC – witnessing the middle spire topple over from the fire – brought sadness and tears to my eyes. I never thought I would see something this horrifying in my lifetime.
I watched in horror and felt helpless, then couldn’t turn the TV set off. I’m sure I was not alone. This has been a day of emotional sadness – to see an architectural icon go up in flames.
The television images and the up-to-the-minute internet graphics being transmitted by the BBC, The New York Times and NPR, among many, were haunting and horrible – heartbreaking to say the least – but very real. There wasn’t anything remotely “fake news” about this spectacular and staggering tragedy.
The Notre-Dame cathedral and its common history reminds us there is still an appreciable beauty in a world that lately has been rearing its ugly and intolerant head. Sadly, tonight, the Parisian sky is filled with smoldering fire and smoke. Life in Paris has come to a halt while the first responders try courageously in the coming hours to put out the colossal fire. We hope they are successful in containing the damage. The whole world will be watching, hoping, praying.
“We will rebuild Notre-Dame,” said French President Emmanuel Macron tonight from Paris, “because the French want it.”
Former U.S. President Barack Obama took to social media to share his thoughts with the people of France. He tweeted: “Notre Dame is one of the world’s great treasures, and we’re thinking of the people of France in your time of grief. It’s in our nature to mourn when we see history lost – but it’s also in our nature to rebuild for tomorrow, as strong as we can.”
My thoughts and prayers – and solace – go out to the people of Paris, to France, and to anyone in the world affected by this unfortunate Holy Week tragedy.
God bless us all and please help us understand this unprecedented catastrophe we are witnessing in real time.
