It's not just the loss of a church.
It's not just a loss for Catholics.
It's not just a loss for Paris, nor for France.
Mais, non!
Today all of us have lost a treasure. A legacy bequeathed to us by medievel engineers, who devised the now-famous flying buttresses and figured out how to make towering, load-bearing walls stand tall and stand strong for eight centuries, and by craftsmen and artisans who devoted their entire lives and gave us the best of their talents scultpting stones, carving wood, and staining glass to create a simply beautiful cathedral, in the name of God.
I've had a sad, sickened feeling deep in my gut all afternoon.
Today's fire has left me empty and in disbelief.
Notre Dame survived the tumultuous history of France.
Notre Dame survived the French Revolution.
Notre Dame survived Hitler's occupation.
Today, however, Notre Dame is gone.
And it's a loss for humankind.
