The last time I visited the great cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris was in 1987. At the time, we were warned to be wary of children employed as pickpockets who roved the area of l'Ile de la Cité upon which the cathedral was built. I remember sitting in a small cafe across from the side of the building, sipping on one half of an expensive, room temperature Coke, and studying the architecture while a French woman placed her small dog on the cafe's bar top.
Today, the stones of the cathedral, a cross, and the windows appear to be all that remain following Monday's devastating fire.
The ruins are still a wonder, and I am sure that the cathedral will be rebuilt by the French people and by contributions from around the world, but I wonder, for what purpose?
In a secularized country in which, according to at least one article,
Is is just to rebuild a tourist trap?
Will it be just to benefit the street vendors, cafe owners, the "gamins", and the pickpockets?
If you are not doing it for the glory of God, why do it at all?
Sigh, I guess we would want to rebuild the pyramids of Egypt if something happened to them too...
Signed,
Despairing UGP
Today, the stones of the cathedral, a cross, and the windows appear to be all that remain following Monday's devastating fire.
The ruins are still a wonder, and I am sure that the cathedral will be rebuilt by the French people and by contributions from around the world, but I wonder, for what purpose?
In a secularized country in which, according to at least one article,
"Church attendance is among the lowest in the world, with surveys showing that only about 5% of the total population, i.e. less than 10% of those who are nominally Catholics, now attend weekly mass...."why should such a people spend a huge amount of money on rebuilding a gathering place for Christians to worship only to walk away following the reconstruction and go back to their old ways of ignoring the Lord's call?
Is is just to rebuild a tourist trap?
Will it be just to benefit the street vendors, cafe owners, the "gamins", and the pickpockets?
If you are not doing it for the glory of God, why do it at all?
Sigh, I guess we would want to rebuild the pyramids of Egypt if something happened to them too...
Signed,
Despairing UGP
Posts
For the Glory of France.
ReplyDeleteIt will be very interesting to see whether there will be even a suggestion that while they are at it, perhaps some accommodation to other faiths which are still practiced be made.
With government money being used, they just might turn it into something like the National Cathedral in DC. A monument to the spirit of the age.
DeleteUGP,
DeleteI don't think government money will be used or needed with a promised 1 billion plus in donations.