ONLY TWO YEARS AGO, ISIS was caught in an attempted plot blow up the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
On September 8, 2016, two members of ISIS were caught in a probable attack on Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris that was uncovered by French authorities. The average citizen did not hear about it until Wednesday when French news outlets reported it as the confiscation of a car filled with seven propane tanks on a street near Notre Dame cathedral.
No detonators or other explosive devices were found inside, but documents in Arabic were.
The vehicle, a Peugeot 607, raised suspicions in the 5th arrondissement because it had been parked improperly with its lights still on and the license plates had been removed, possibly because the car had been listed as stolen.
Then, late Tuesday evening, two unnamed suspects, a 34-year-old man and a 29-year-old woman, both known to France’s domestic intelligence service, as BFMTV reported, “for espousing the ideology of Daesh,” were taken into custody at police headquarters, where they remain as of this writing.
France has watched a number of attacks against Catholic churches since the start of the year, that included arson.
Vandals have smashed statues, knocked down tabernacles, scattered or destroyed the Eucharist and torn down crosses, sparking fears of a rise in anti-Catholic sentiment in the country.
Last month, the historic Church of St. Sulpice in Paris was set on fire just after midday mass on Sunday, Le Parisien reported, although no one was injured. Police are still investigating the attack, which firefighters have confidently attributed to arson.
-At the St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Houilles, in north-central France, a statue of the Virgin Mary was found smashed, and the altar cross had been thrown on the ground, according to La Croix International, a Catholic publication.
-At Saint-Alain Cathedral in Lavaur, in south-central France, an altar cloth was burned and crosses and statues of saints were smashed. The attack prompted Lavaur Mayor Bernard Canyon to say in a statement: “God will forgive. Not me.”
-And in the southern city of Nimes, near the Spanish border, vandals looted the altar of the church of Notre-Dame des Enfants (Our Lady of the Children) and smeared a cross with human excrement.
Consecrated hosts made from unleavened bread, which Catholics believe to be the body of Jesus Christ, were taken and found scattered among rubbish outside the building. –Newsweek
When Fox News’ Shep Smith interviews French elected official, Phillip Karsenty, who suggested he’s not buying into the politically correct narrative that the Notre Dame fire was an accident, Shep Smith abruptly cut him off. Shep’s voice instantly changed, as he scolded the French official “Not on my watch!” Smith said.
The Gateway Pundit reported – Mr. Karsenty brought up the fact that churches across France are getting desecrated and vandalized on a weekly basis — this angered Shepard Smith because how dare anyone speak the truth.
“Even the Nazis didn’t dare destroy it [Notre Dame cathedral],” Karsenty said. “And you have to know for the last year we’ve had churches desecrated each and every week all over France so of course you will hear the story of the politically correct which will tell you it is probably an accident.”
Shepard Smith immediately cut off Karsenty — “Sir. Sir! Sir! We’re not going to speculate here of the cause of something for which we don’t know.”
Shepard Smith would not let the guest speak and eventually ended the call saying, “No sir, not here, not on my watch!”
Watch here:
Shepard Smith cuts off French Elected Official after he brings up fact that Churches in France have been desecrated in past year.
“Of course you will hear the story of the politically correct which will tell you it is probably an accident" #NotreDame https://t.co/HHdqSrXstg
— The Columbia Bugle 🇺🇸 (@ColumbiaBugle) April 15, 2019
Shep Smith had no problem perpetuating the Trump-Russian collusion fairytale, but don’t you dare suggest terrorists might be behind a massive fire in one of the most important historic Catholic churches in the world during holy week.
https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1117883903044284416
Shep Smith isn’t the only Fox News host refusing to allow anyone to speculate about the possiblilty of the Notre Dame Cathedral fire being movitvated by hate.
Catholic spokesperson Tom Donohue raised speculation about how the devastating fire at historic Notre Dame in Paris looks suspicious.
He said they need to look at the series of Catholic church fires that have happened recently (see below).
Before Donohue could speak more about what he knows, Cavuto cut him off. Not once, but twice!
https://twitter.com/kbq225/status/1117883796592816128
It’s not just Catholic churches in France that are being targeted. Local news reported about decapitated statues of the Virgin Mary at two churches in California, as well as two churches in Massachusetts; both instances happened within weeks of each other during Lent.
These scary stories of targeted hate against Catholics were not important enough to be published or covered by the mainstream media.
On April 2, 2019, Los Angeles CBS local reported A vandal appears to be targeting Catholic churches in Pomona Valley, with the most recent attack on a beloved statue at a Chino church.
“This is a place we come to feel safe, to feel God’s presence, to worship with our community,” said Marianne Hacker, pastoral administrator at Saint Margaret Mary’s Church.
She’s guarded the chapel for more than 50 years, the entire time the church has been in existence on Central Avenue in Chino.
“It brings people comfort,” Hacker said.
But on March 30, a vandal trespassed onto the property and delivered a blow that severed the statue in two.
The statue was decapitated on March 30.
The damage made the church recall a strikingly similar crime at another local Catholic church.
“That’s why I’m thinking it was a sledgehammer like they used at Our Lady Lourdes,” Hacker said.
Just a month ago and three miles away in Montclair, a person was caught on camera hopping onto a planter at Our Lady Lourdes Catholic Church and using what appeared to be a sledgehammer to hack the heads off two of their statues.
“Definitely trying to make a statement,” Hacker said.
On March 30, in Billerica, MA, only one day after statues at a Burlington Catholic church were vandalized, vandals struck a church in neighboring Billerica. In both instances, Virgin Mary statues were decapitated and had their hands severed.