By Michelle Powers
The Diocese of Nanterre is less than ten miles from Notre Dame, so close the land used to be part of the Archdiocese of Paris.
Bishop Matthieu Rouge says the cathedral is mile zero. It’s how the French measure distances all over the country, but its more than just that, it’s their history.
“Notre Dame is the beginning of all measures, it’s the center of this country,” said Rouge.
Through the grace of flames and the way of the cross, some are rediscovering it this Good Friday.
Once among the most Catholic countries in the world – sometimes called the eldest daughter of the church – in recent years France has seen a serious decline in churchgoing numbers.
“In France everyone is a catholic but they ignore it,” added Rouge.
Bishop Rouge speculates that the Notre Dame fire just may ignite a spiritual reawakening of sorts. One that might already be underway across secular France.
Sociologists in the country call the phenomena the rise of “Zombie Catholics.” People who do not attend church, but voters who turn out in droves to support leaders backing catholic social teachings.
The sociologists who coined the term say its Catholicism having attained a life after death in France, and no one is quite sure just where it will go.
As the way of the cross made its way around the Diocese of Nanterre, many people joined in. The crowd grew in size at every station.