Sometimes
you can carry “co-incidence” too far
There
has been a spate in attacks on French churches largely ignored by the
media
This, I am sure will be the consensus view which will ignore the stories below.
The
exact cause of the blaze was not known, but French media quoted the
Paris fire brigade as saying the fire is "potentially linked"
to a 6 million-euro ($6.8 million) renovation project on the church's
spire and its 250 tons of lead. The Paris prosecutors' office ruled
out arson and possible terror-related motives, and said it was
treating it as an accident.
In
2017, it was reported by the New York Times that Notre Dame, which
sees 13m visitors each year, was in desperate need of structural
updates.
At
the time, the cathedral’s spokesperson André Finot pointed out
that “everywhere the stone is eroded” and each time the wind
blows, more pieces of stone fall from the cathedral's roof.
However,
the decision to renovate may be behind the blaze that caused
“colossal damage” to the structure.
Speaking
to The Times, Vincent Dunn, a fire consultant and former New York
City fire chief said that fire hose streams could not reach the top
of the cathedral and that buildings such as this are “built to
burn.”
21
March, 2019
France
has seen a spate of attacks against Catholic churches since the start
of the year, vandalism that has included arson and desecration.
Vandals
have smashed statues, knocked down tabernacles, scattered or
destroyed the Eucharist and torn down crosses, sparking fears of a
rise in anti-Catholic sentiment in the country.
Last
Sunday, the historic Church of St. Sulpice in Paris was set on fire
just after midday mass on Sunday, Le Parisien reported, although no
one was injured. Police are still investigating the attack, which
firefighters have confidently attributed to arson.
While
the world watched in horror at Paris’ historic Notre Dame Cathedral
erupting in flames Monday, the fire is only the latest in a series of
incidents that have left social media awash in images of heavily
damaged churches.
France
has been hit with a string of fires at Catholic churches, some of
which occurred alongside desecration of sacred objects and acts of
vandalism. While the fire at Notre Dame appears to be an accident
connected to renovations of the church, the image of the famous spire
engulfed in flames is a hard hit on the historically deeply Catholic
France, as well as Catholics all over who have seen their religion
reeling from devastating scandals, cover-ups and attacks.
18
March, 2018
Paris’
historical Saint-Sulpice church has been damaged by the blaze which
was bursting though the doors of the 19th Century building. The cause
of the fire is unknown.
Firefighters
were sent to deal with the blaze early on Sunday afternoon, Le
Parisien reported. According to the newspaper, the wooden doors were
on fire, and a stained glass window was damaged. The rest of the
damage “seems minor,” the daily paper said.
Dramatic
footage shared on social media shows the interior of the church in
flames, with smoke billowing up to its arched roof. From outside,
video footage shows firefighters hosing down the burning doors.
A
spate of thefts and vandalism in French churches has led to calls for
the government to act.
Recent
incidents have included a fire in Saint-Sulpice church in Paris,
human excrement smeared on the wall in Notre-Dame-des-Enfants church
in Nîmes, southern France, and vandalism of the organ at Saint-Denis
basilica outside Paris, where all but three of France’s kings are
buried.
Opposition
politicians have said that the country’s Christian heritage is
being threatened by petty criminals encouraged by militant
secularism. Critics say the issue is being ignored in a society over
which Catholicism has lost the hold it had for centuries.
2 May, 2016
Investigators in three cities are looking into large fires at Orthodox churches that occurred around the religion's Easter celebrations and caused widespread damage.
The blazes in New York City, as well as Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, caused only minor injuries, according to multiple reports.
The New York City conflagration on Sunday at the Trinity Chapel Complex that was host to the Serbian Orthodox Church in Manhattan produced dramatic images of flames shooting through windows that filled social media.
FDNY investigators haven't given any indication yet what started the blaze, reports CBS New York. Only the church caretaker was injured when he rushed in to try and put the fire out, which began shortly after parishioners had wrapped up Easter celebrations at the cathedral.
A
spate of thefts and vandalism in French churches has led to calls for
the government to act.
Sometimes
it's a cross of human excrement smeared on a church wall, with stolen
Communion hosts stuck at the four corners. Other times, a statue of
the Virgin Mary lies shattered on the floor.
Now
and then, a fire breaks out in a house of prayer.
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