(This post may contain disputed claims. We make no assertions as to the validity of the information presented by our Opinion Columnist. We are an opinion blog, not a traditional news outlet, and this post should be treated as such. Enjoy.)Shep Smith was brought in to host the coverage of the horrendous burning of the Notre Dame Cathedral yesterday afternoon. The fire started late in the day Paris time, and it moved with a ferocity not seen in many blazes. However, Shep immediately cut off the French media analyst when he made a very important point about terror attacks in France recently. You don’t want to miss this.
Islamic terrorists have vowed to wage their jihad on Rome, and that includes all Catholic churches. Sadly, France has seen a real spate of terror attacks of churches in recent years. But, that is something Shep Smith doesn’t want his audience to know.
“Everybody’s really under shock now in France,” said French media analyst Phillip Karsenty to Fox News’ Shep Smith. “I would tell you something. Even if nobody died, it’s like a 9/11, it’s a French 9/11. It’s a big shock. This church was there for more than 850 years. Even the Nazis didn’t dare to destroy it.”
“You need to know that for the past years, we’ve had churches desecrated each and every week in France, all over France,” Karsenty said. “So, of course, you will hear the story of the politically correct — the political correctness which will tell you it’s probably an accident.”
Smith interrupted him, saying, “Sir, sir, sir, we’re not going to speculate here of the cause of something that which we don’t know. If you have observations or you know something, we would love to hear it.”
“I’m just telling you something, what we need to be ready,” Karsenty responded.
That’s when Shep cut the French man off and went into a long rant:
“No, sir, we’re not doing that here, not now, not on my watch. Philippe Karsenty, it’s very good for you to be here. We’re watching the at least partial destruction of a world icon, Notre Dame Cathedral has been burning for 2.5 hours. The initial reports we got were that the fire started in a construction zone in the rear. We are thousands of miles away. And the man on the phone with us has absolutely no information of any kind about the origin of this fire and neither do I. And the fire investigators will at some point come to a determination about what caused this and conspiracy theories about anything are worthless and in many cases counter productive and injurious to society. And those who entertain them are not acting in the best interests of the people of this planet.”
Karsenty was elected deputy mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine, a suburb near Paris, in 2008. He is also a controversial media figure who owns the group Media-Ratings. And conservatives weren’t happy Shep cut this man off. In fact, the leftist Washington Post published an article about the recent destruction and defilement of France’s Catholic Churches.
“Sometimes it’s a cross of human excrement smeared on a church wall, with stolen Communion hosts stuck at the four corners. Other times, a statue of the Virgin Mary lies shattered on the floor,” the Washington Post reported two weeks ago. “Now and then, a fire breaks out in a house of prayer.”
“Roman Catholic churches have increasingly come under attack in France, a country so long identified with Christianity that it used to be called ‘the eldest daughter of the Church,'” The Post added. “Incidents such as these get a brief mention in the press, complete with quotes from Catholics shocked at the sight of scattered hosts or beheaded statues, and sometimes a short video clip on national television.”
In 2016, a French priest was murdered by Islamic terrorists while saying Mass. “Father Hamel was celebrating Mass on Tuesday morning when two men with knives entered the small church and slit his throat, an attack that horrified people across France and the world. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that the two assailants — who were shot dead by the police — were ‘soldiers’ retaliating against the United States-led coalition fighting the group in Iraq and Syria,” reported the New York Times.
Regardless if this attack of Notre Dame was “by accident” or was another terror attack as Karsenty was alluding to, it’s beneficial to know the history of fires and defilement of Catholic churches in France has been on the rise. It’s very important to note thus far the French fire personnel have said this fire of Notre Dame, which is translated to “Our Lady,” which refers to the Blessed Virgin Mary, has been reported as “an accident.”
Many people were then upset when Shep himself seemed to start a conspiracy theory when he asked, “Why has it taken hours to get water on the Notre Dame fire?” However, the mainstream media claims Smith squashed “a conspiracy theory” when he cut off the French media analyst who didn’t have time to finish his remarks.
Shep smith at FOX: why did it take hours to get water on #NotreDame?
— J. Christian Adams (@ElectionLawCtr) April 15, 2019
While faithful Christians gathered outside Notre Dame and started singing “Ave Maria,” praying the damage would not be severe, the fire miraculously left the main altar intact. With this Sunday Easter, it makes the timing very bad. However, the good news was the fire department chaplain along with a “chain of human volunteers” were able to save Christ’s Crown of Thorns which are housed inside a golden circular reliquary inside the main altar.
Father Fournier
The Fire Department Chaplain
Is the man who saved the Blessed Sacrament and Crown of Thorns from the fire
God bless him! #notredame #france pic.twitter.com/zwSq2seI3Q
— Catholic Arena (@CatholicArena) April 15, 2019
It also was miraculous that only one firefighter was hurt. Christians around the world were amazed at the news footage showing an illuminated cross inside the cathedral where the main altar and holy relics like the Crown of Thorns are housed and were not damaged:
WATCH: Footage shows a glimpse of the inside of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in the aftermath of a huge fire. Iconically, a cross can be seen in the background: pic.twitter.com/nGjVxqLvc1
— BNL NEWS (@BreakingNLive) April 15, 2019
While it’s wrong to vilify anyone for a crime they did not commit, it’s good to know some background on what is going on at the scene of the crime. This was a Catholic cathedral in France on fire when others have been targeted in the recent past by terrorists. Just mentioning that background is not a conspiracy theory, and you would think Shep Smith could have given that background.
If white supremacists had been burning churches in France, it would be brought up by the mainstream media, and it should be. We can handle the truth, and it’s time to stop keeping the entire story from Americans and blaming Islamophobia. This is the same line of thinking used by Democrats for refusing to censure Rep. Ilhan Omar’s anti-Semitic remarks and her abusive 9/11 rhetoric. In the end, the truth has no agenda.
