I awoke that morning and, as I usually do, checked the news on the radio and the internet. I didn't realize it was an historic day.
One story captured all the headlines: the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was ablaze, the flames quickly engulfing the historic structure.
I don't know how to describe how I felt, but it was bizarre. It was as though I was experiencing a personal loss. I had an empty feeling in my chest and my mind was a blur.
My immediate reaction, once the reality of the fire was clear to me, was to call my children. They had visited Notre Dame many times, had lived and studied in France, and – most importantly – are Catholic, as am I. I wanted to be certain they knew what was happening since they are not the news junky I am, and I didn't want them to learn about this at the end of the day.
When I told them, they were as shocked as I was – and in fact, still am.
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I visited Notre Dame a number of years ago when I was purely a tourist. One doesn't go to that glorious city without seeing – and yes, experiencing – the Cathedral dedicated to "Our Mother, Mary." That visit was high on my list of "things to see" and until the day it was burning, I didn't realize what an impression it had on me.
The size of the building was more than impressive, as was the architecture, the artwork that permeated the building, the holiness of the altar and the very fact that despite the enormity of the cathedral, it was still a church for believers to worship God.
As I watched with horror as the flames continued their paths of destruction, I felt as if part of me was also dying. I know I was not the only one, as I saw the faces of the people in the streets as they also saw the destruction in front of them.
The big question then, is the same big question now: How did the fire start? While there has been a wild attempt by worldwide media to show the pictures of the inferno and the damage caused, there is a concerted effort to avoid making any conclusions as to HOW the fire started – or, perhaps, WHO started it.
It's not too far-fetched to say that media and authorities are in the midst of a total avoidance of possibly accusing any person(s) or groups as being responsible for the conflagration.
The truth is, a building the size and age and cared-for as Notre Dame does not "just" burn down – not especially with the heat, speed and totality of the flames.
The allegation is the wood roof was just so flammable that even a simple spark would set it all off. Nonsense. The 850-year-old roof was built with whole trees, many more than a 100 years old when they were cut. It would take more than a spark to set them ablaze with the speed and destructiveness of that fire.
What is left of the structure is so fragile at this point, that NO authorities have been allowed inside for inspections … yet there are media reports that a "short circuit" set off the blaze. The contractors who were doing the remodeling say that is not possible, yet the media persist and officials support them even though NO investigators have done any inspections.
Speaking of the media persisting, they're also avoiding – with every bit of their ability – to even consider that perhaps anti-Catholic feeling was responsible for the fire. After all, more than a dozen Catholic churches were vandalized in the last week before the fire, though the hierarchy tends to play down any thought of a concerted effort against Catholicism.
As reported in Breitbart, official records show 80 percent of the desecration of places of worship in France concerns Christian churches – averaging two per day in France in 2018.
The Ministry of the Interior in 2018 recorded 541 anti-Semitic acts, 100 anti-Muslim acts, and 1063 anti-Christian acts.
Forgive me, but do you see a pattern here? The big "no-no" is to even suggest there might be Muslim involvement in the Notre Dame fire. This, despite reports in Islamic media, that Muslims are cheering the destruction.
Not only are Western news media almost totally avoiding mentioning the possibility of Muslim involvement with the fire, but even news talk programs – including Fox – are simply shutting down any guests who might even insinuate a Muslim connection. Two examples I saw were Neil Cavuto and Sheppard Smith each shutting down guests who got close to a Muslim connection.
Whatever happened to unbiased news? Or perhaps they're afraid of retribution from those groups. In this world, anything is possible.
Archbishop Anthony Fraser of Sydney, Australia spoke openly that Christians worldwide are "under siege" but he hopes the Notre Dame fire was not a deliberate act, as others have been.
Talk about walking a tightrope.
Which is what western civilization is doing across the board. It's being attacked, weakened and partially destroyed – and the reaction is one of cowardice.
If that continues, it will lose and the "other side" will continue the cheering and win the war they know we are in.