Gutted but 'valiant', Notre-Dame still stands

The cathedral is owned by the state and has been at the center of a years-long row between the nation and the Paris archdiocese over who should finance restoration work to collapsed balustrades, crumbling gargoyles and cracked facades.

Within 24 hours, companies and local authorities had pledged more than 700 million euros to rebuild it, including 500 million from the three billionaire families that own France’s giant luxury goods empires: Kering, LVMH and L’Oreal.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-notredame-probe/

Coincidence? And then,

French President Emmanuel Macron has postponed an important address to the nation that was to lay out his responses to the yellow vest crisis because of the massive fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Instead he headed to the scene of the fire.

The French presidency didn't reschedule the speech yet.

https://www.france24.com/en/20190415-live-france-emmanuel-macron-speech-responds-yellow-vest-crisis-policies

More coincidence?

VATICAN: Catholic Churches Filing For Bankruptcy To Protect Assets From Sex Abuse Lawsuits

Facing waves of lawsuits by now-adult victims, we found the church has reacted more like a big business than a sacred institution: Wealthy dioceses have claimed to be broke and taken the drastic act of filing for bankruptcy. Only when forced to open their ledgers in bankruptcy proceedings does it become clear that several of these dioceses were actually flush with assets- cash, real estate, parishes - that it could have made available to victims seeking restitution.

http://clergygonewild.com/sex-abuse/36-other/561-vatican-catholic-churches-filing-for-bankruptcy-to-protect-assets-from-sex-abuse-lawsuits