Speculating On Two Opposing Thoughts On The Notre-Dame Cathedral Fire

I.  A Divine Plan - a blessing in disguise

On 16 April 2019 BBC News  reported that "[s]ections of the building were under scaffolding as part of the renovations and 16 copper statues had been removed last week. Work began after cracks appeared in the stone, sparking fears the structure could become unstable. [1] [Emphasis original.]

It is possible that the visible cracks in the stone could indicate that there may be other cracks that are hidden and developing, weakening the structure, giving rise to an imminent danger of collapse.  It is also possible that the cracks cannot be repaired, that the entire cathedral had to be re-engineered and rebuilt to modern standards.

Had the cathedral collapsed when there are large crowds both inside and outside, there would likely be many lives that would be lost.  This would give enemies of the Church a reason to blame God for using His Church as a weapon of mass destruction, or to claim that there is no God since God would not have allowed such a tragedy to happen.

The 15 April 2019 fire that consumed parts of the cathedral did not result in any fatality.  This is good because things (other than relics) can be replaced whereas lives cannot.

Now that the cathedral has suffered significant damage, the plan to repair needs to be shelved and be replaced by a plan to rebuild.  A new cathedral built to exacting high standards should be safe and will likely not collapse from structural weaknesses.

Since the cathedral will be rebuilt, how the fire started is irrelevant.  If someone wants a reason, then one can say that God had allowed it, that the fire is a blessing in disguise.  By involving many people in this rebuilding process, perhaps many will return to the church and many will enter it.

It would be wishful thinking if the Novus Ordo altar in the center is removed as a part of the reconstruction, returning the cathedral to its original form, so that the Traditional Latin Mass (Tridentine Mass) will once again be celebrated.


II.  A lack of care and concern - the absence of love of God

On 16 April 2019 TIME  reported that "Michel Picaud, head of the non-profit organization Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris" "and others have spent years appealing to the French government and private donors for money to renovate and upgrade the cathedral. In 2017, they guided TIME on to the roof of the building to show how it was crumbling. Bits of stone work were dropping off, eaten through by centuries of wear and tear, as well as the intense pollution in central Paris. So too were the gargoyles for which Notre-Dame is famous, which Picaud likened then to being “like ice cream, melting in the sun.” Some of the lost gargoyles, which act as rain ducts, have been replaced by cheap PVC piping, while at least one statue on a bell tower that was deemed precarious was strapped down, rather than properly restored, in order to stop it from falling." [2] [hyperlinks omitted.]

"Notre-Dame began a €150-million ($170 million) construction project last year [2018], in an effort to restore and upgrade the wooden roof and spire, which was considered to be the most urgently needed work." [3] [hyperlink omitted.]

Based on the report above, plans were drawn up to repair the cathedral and companies were hired to do the work.  There seemed to be nobody from the church was put in charge.  Whoever did the hiring seemed to care less, so long as the repair work was being done, even if cheaply and superficially.  And so long as workers were being paid and receiving benefits, the possibility of someone leaving something inflammatory on purpose or out of carelessness at the end of the work day that could spark a fire, apparently did not enter anyone's consciousness.  To them

Whether the fire was started intentionally or negligently does not make a difference because nobody, not even those in charge of the cathedral, seemed to care.  Had they truly cared, they would have demanded that security cameras and smoke alarms be installed.  If they had they been put in place and monitored, then the fire could easily be extinguished when it first started, and damages would have been minimized.  As it turned out, it was a labor not done out of love, but out of a contractual obligation.

If those in charge of the repairs and those actually doing the work had genuine love of God in their hearts, they would go beyond the call of duty and be extra cautious in minimizing the risks associated with a renovation, such as a fire.

In conclusion, it is likely Divine Providence that had permitted the Notre-Dame Cathedral to burn the way it did because the band-aid approach adopted for its repairs would likely have caused a far worse disaster, with the structure collapsing suddenly on people.  Now, Macron and "his Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, [had] promised on television to launch a rebuilding fund without delay, and to draw in specialists from across the world for Notre-Dame’s reconstruction." [4]  That is the way forward.  God is never wrong.


[1] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-47943705
[2] http://time.com/5571554/paris-fire-notre-dame-shock-damage/
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.