In the aftermath of the Notre Dame Cathedral fire in Paris, Maj. Paolo De Angelis, head of the Vatican fire department, told the Italian news agency ANSA April 16 that the structural differences between Notre Dame and the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basilica make a catastrophic fire at St. Peter’s less likely.
Archbishop Michel Aupetit of Paris invited the faithful to attend the annual chrism Mass at historic St. Sulpice Church April 17 in the wake of the massive fire that seriously damaged the historic Notre Dame Cathedral.
The North Dakota Catholic Conference praised Republican Gov. Doug Burgum for signing a bill into law April 10 to “prohibit the practice of dismemberment abortions.”
The key to understanding Notre Dame Cathedral was summarized by Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit in a television interview in the wee hours of April 16: “Why was this beauty built? What jewel was this case meant to contain? Not the crown of thorns (a relic saved from the fire), but a piece of bread that we believe is the body of Christ.”
The retired Pope Benedict XVI marks his 92 birthday April 16.
ardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark called New Jersey’s new law allowing assisted suicide regrettable, saying “whatever its motives and means,” it is “morally unacceptable.”
The fire erupted about 6:30 p.m. local time, and authorities said the cause was not certain but that it could be linked to renovation work that the cathedral was undergoing, the BBC reported.
At the Vatican and in many parts of the world, Palm Sunday also is marked as the local celebration of World Youth Day, and Pope Francis spoke specifically to young people in his homily.
