For the past week, every time I look at my social media feed, I see new updates on the fate of the Notre Dame cathedral and the status of the campaign to restore it. Wealthy business tycoons are pledging money towards the renovations and every online publication is weighing in with their ten cents worth as to what should be done, and how.
As someone who is poorly educated when it comes to both history and politics, I struggled a little over whether I should write about this at all, but a number of elements of the coverage have been troubling me, with a common theme eventually becoming clear. So I am attempting to summarise as best I can.
First and foremost, the Notre Dame cathedral was in dire need of repair BEFORE the fire. Scaffolding erected in the summer of 2018 marked the beginning of what was to be a 30-year renovation project. The stone within the structure was said to be badly eroded and many of the statues were damaged.
This latest overhaul, while much less extensive than the rebuilding of the spire and the flying buttresses in the mid 1800s, would reportedly cost 150 million euro. This is an amount of money that sounds alien to most people, yet it is a mere fraction of the figures that we are hearing about since the blaze.
In the middle of frenzied media coverage, people are lining up to save the day with offers of financial assistance. Yet I can find no mention anywhere of any similar offers being made for the less high-profile “routine” maintenance. Why is it that the world always waits until something catastrophic happens before we decide to step in and offer to help?
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to have the cathedral rebuilt in time for the 2024 Olympics, in spite of early estimates saying it would take 20 years. In a world constantly seeking instant gratification, where everything is expected to happen yesterday, this beautiful piece of architecture will apparently be rebuilt in just 5 years, a miraculous feat considering it was going to take 30 years just to repair it before the fire.
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There is also the question of whether the Vatican should step up and foot some of the bill. There is no confusion as to the ownership of the cathedral, given that it has officially been the property of the state of France since 1905. At this time though, it was also declared that the buildings use would be “dedicated exclusively to the Roman Catholic rite”.
For me, this creates a somewhat grey area with regard to the level of responsibility of the Vatican. So what if the cathedral doesn’t belong to the Vatican state? It certainly doesn’t belong to Francois-Henri Pinault or Bernard Arnault, both of whom have quickly stepped up and offered to assist with the rebuilding expenses.
In this time of need, it seems that the spirit of giving is alive and well in France. The Vatican, on the other hand, are offering nothing more than prayers and the sharing of their architectural expertise. During what coincidentally happened to be Holy Week, the headquarters of the Catholic Church seemed reluctant to lead by example and offer financial help.
The problem is that we are looking at this as an either/or situation. This article from Joe.ie points out that if 2 men can come up with 300 million in a matter of hours to restore Notre Dame, there is more than enough money in this world to feed the hungry. The problem is that the worlds priorities are basically fucked up, for want of a more ladylike description.
So while the future of the Notre Dame is still to be determined, remember this: we should love people and use things, not the other way round. As a traveller, of course I love to see beautiful architecture and impressive buildings. But what really defines the world we live in is the people we find there.
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That is evident in the issues that have been raised in the past week. The main focus is not on the Notre Dame itself, or what the eventually restored version will look like. The main focus has been on the actions of people in response to this historic event.
The priest who foolishly risked his life rushing into the fire to save artefacts. The millionaires who pledged money for the rebuild. The president who will happily rush the renovations instead of allowing things to happen in their own time. And the head of the Catholic Church sitting in the Vatican apparently praying for all involved.
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