What does this mean?
An icon of both French and Catholic culture, the burning of Notre Dame could not come at a more symbolic time. Echoing what the Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo said: “Notre Dame is part of our common heritage.”
The cathedral is part of French history and culture, although France is considered a fundamentally secular (laïc) country. Despite there being a consensus to not display any form of religion in public, Parisians stood watching the blaze singing hymns, showing a strong sense of fraternité – one of the three virtues of the republic.
Victor Hugo’s novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, is said to have immortalized the cathedral in French literature.
The disaster affects all French people, regardless of their religion. Yet it is interesting to look at the timing of the fire with respect to Catholic traditions. Sunday, April 14, the eve of the fire, marked Palm Sunday in the Catholic Church. This denotes the beginning of Holy Week before Easter. A famous quote from John’s scripture reads: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” – which served as a metaphor for Christ’s resurrection after three days. In a time where the image of the Catholic Church is under scrutiny due to the many child abuse cases, could such an event rebuild a more positive image of the community?