Fire at Notre Dame de Paris

% of readers think this story is Fact. Add your two cents.

As I am sure all of our readers have already seen, the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris has been severely damaged by a fire, which as of this writing is still burning; the wooden parts of the church, including the roof and spire, have collapsed. Nothing has been stated thus far as to the origin of the fire; there has been a wave of church vandalism episodes in France in the last few weeks, but the church was also undergoing a major restoration, and there have been many occasions on which disastrous fires broke out during restoration works. (The ancient Roman basilica of St Paul Outside-the-Walls was destroyed by fire in July of 1823, which began when workmen left a candle burning in the rafters.) We join all the Catholics of the world in praying for the church in Paris, and the preservation of whatever can be saved from the building; the relics of the Crown of Thorns acquired by St Louis IX, e.g. are kept there. We also pray for the safety of the firefighters, several hundred of whom are on the scene. En union de prière avec tous nous amis de la Schola Sainte-Cécile, et tous les catholiques de Paris.

Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis!
Sancte Dionysi, ora pro nobis!
Sancta Genovefa, ora pro nobis!