• Statement on the fire at Notre Dame

  15/04/2019

  The fire at Notre Dame Cathedral is a tragedy not only for Paris and the people of France but for the world.

  Those who know the building will be unable to see the pictures of the fire without feeling heartbroken.

  So many different things that make up the building are priceless – the medieval roof, the woodwork, the organ, the stained glass, the relics. But this tragedy is more than the loss of them all. It is the loss of the heart of Paris, the loss of a place of pilgrimage and the loss of a place of romance.

  Every day this week, Christians will be reflecting on the heartbreak of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, to whom Notre Dame was dedicated. Every day as we do so, we will be praying for the Paris its people as they face their own heartbreak.

  Notre Dame means Our Lady. Notre Dame doesn’t just belong to Paris, it belongs to us all.

  This was a building that is utterly associated with Paris. But it was an utterly priceless treasure for the world.

  It was truly ours, and this tragedy is our tragedy.

  Our Lady of Paris, pray for us and for all affected locally.

  Our Lady of Paris, we pray for you.

Previous Posts

• International Day Against Homophobia

  17/05/2014

  Today is the International Day Against Homophobia. I’m not going to say much about it except to point towards a youtube video – one of the most articulate speeches of recent years about the topic. It is an unlikely person speaking in an unlikely location – a drag queen called Panti Bliss speaking at the…

• Heresy hunting

  14/05/2014

  One of the big differences between the theological training that I received from the university and the theological training I received from the church was that the former was interested in heresy and the latter wasn’t interested at all. It may be that things are different now, I don’t know. But quite a lot of…

• Sermon – Road to Emmaus

  04/05/2014

  Here’s the sermon I preached on the Road to Emmaus story.

• Michael Perham and Gracious Restraint

  02/05/2014

  I see that at his diocesan synod, the Bishop of Gloucester, the Rt Rev Michael Perham has made a very passionate plea for even more “gracious restraint”. “My own view is that what is needed in the Church at present is gracious restraint. We need a cool and calm period in which to explore the…