As I wrote Monday afternoon while the Notre Dame Cathedral was burning, this horror is more of a symbol of the downfall of Christianity in Europe, despite what the authorities come up with as a cause.

In the video below a man is seen walking not in emergency gear during the fire at Notre Dame. He appears to be in Muslim attire.

The gothic bastion that marked the beginning of western civilization out of the Dark Ages was begun in 1162 and largely completed by 1260, had Christians around the world feeling heartbroken as they watch the blaze take down its famous spires.

A dozen Catholic churches have recently been vandalized or desecrated over the holiest of seasons — Lent — in France this year. St. Sulpice —  the second-largest church in Paris, after Notre Dame — had a  large wooden door set on fire on St. Patrick’s Feast Day that Parisian fire officials confirmed was arson.

During this Lenten season alone 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. A dozen churches have been desecrated in France with altars smeared with feces, urine found in holy water and churches ransacked.

According to The Observatory of Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe, which was founded in cooperation with the Council of European Bishops Conferences, there has been a 25 percent increase in attacks on Catholic churches this year, compared with the same time last year in France.

As Europe — and France in particular — continues its open borders, the essence of what was France and its deep ties to Catholicism has not only been diluted, but it is now seen as what is wrong with the New France and its growing Muslim population.

It is not inconceivable to think burning Notre Dame during the holiest of weeks to the Catholic faith was a message to effect change.