The reopening five years after the fire shines a light-weight on Europe’s glory at a moment when the continent seems about to indicate its worst. President Macron calls the renovation “a human adventure of epic proportions,” and it is tough to not feel awe of God and man at the revival of this place of worship, the cornerstone of which was first laid in 1163 AD.
This is due to the work of over 2,000 craftsmen who restored Notre Dame to its medieval splendor. The stained glass windows are impressive and the interior is creamy and luminous. The reconstruction cost over 700 million euros, and donations got here from over 150 countries. More than 200 corporations shared their knowledge, and firefighters saved France’s largest monument, the Crown of Thorns, from the flames.
Paris 2024, nonetheless, still has rather a lot to do to indicate that it’s worthy of this Gothic wonder. How did the concept work in France? It accommodates such a rigid principle – if principle is the right word – of secularism that we cannot help but ponder whether it doesn’t forged a veil over religion itself. At times it seems as if the Fifth Republic is about to annihilate the civilizational gains amassed over the last nine centuries.
France has now rebuilt Notre Dame, but will its pews thrive in the country often called the “eldest daughter of the Church”? France doesn’t keep official statistics on religion, but in response to all reports the variety of believers is decreasing. The Enlightenment sage Voltaire once wrote: “When we have destroyed the Jesuits, we will have dealt with that which is infamous” – the Church. Will the fall accomplish what mere destruction couldn’t?
Modern France has not been spared religious fanaticism – it comes from radical Islam. Almost 11 percent of the population are immigrants, mainly from North Africa. From the Bataclan attacks, to attacks on offices, to ruthless attacks on Jews – the murders of Sarah Halimi, Mireille Knoll and others. Almost three in 4r French Jews experienced anti-Semitism.
Matters only have it got worse since October 7, and increasingly French Jews find life in France becoming unbearable. Our Michel Gurfinkiel reports that Mr. Macron “switched repeatedly and dramatically between a pro-Israel and an anti-Israel position.” On his left is the anti-Semite Jean-Luc Mélenchon. To Macron’s right is Marine Le Pen, who has come to the defense of Jews, which in itself constitutes a shift in favor of the French right.
It could be good if Mr. Macron’s visit to Notre Dame – the cathedral opens to visitors later this week – brought the president some divine wisdom. Pulling back, as Macron did, from a pledge to arrest Prime Minister Netanyahu if he lands on French soil is a great start, but France’s ambiguities have emboldened forces hostile not only to Jews but additionally to the creed that inspired the construction of Notre Dame — and its renovation.
