Hero: the firefighter priest who saved the relics of Notre Dame

PARIS – A French priest, who in 2015 helped comfort the wounded after the terrorist attack in Paris, yesterday became the hero of the fire

Our Lady

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Jean-Marc Fournier, chaplain of the Paris firefighters, saved the night of the Blessed Sacrament and the thorns crown of the burning cathedral when he boldly entered the fire department.

It was feared that both religious artefacts would be lost because of the fire that struck the iconic cathedral of Paris yesterday.

The crown of thorns, which Jesus would have used during his crucifixion and his confinement in a box, is one of the three relics preserved at Notre Dame, as well as part of the cross and a nail.

According to historians, during the Crusades of 1238, the Latin Emperor of Constantinople entrusted it to King Louis IX to obtain his support and attempt to preserve his empire in ruins.

Although the wreath was saved from fire last night, a small fragment of it remained on the needle and, as a result, burned to ashes, according to The Daily Mail.

A hero

"Father Fournier is an absolute hero," said a member of the emergency services. "He showed no fear when he entered the cathedral to look for the relics and made sure they were saved." "He deals with life and death every day and does not show fear."

Etienne Loraillere, editor-in-chief of Catholic TV channel KTO in France, said Father Fournier had joined firefighters at Notre Dame Cathedral to save the crown of thorns and the Blessed Sacrament.

This is not the first time that the priest becomes the hero of France in the midst of misfortune. Fournier entered the concert hall in Bataclan after an IS terrorist killed 89 people. The priest prayed for the dead and comforted the wounded and the families of the victims.

Father Fournier, aged about fifty, began his career as a Catholic priest in Germany, then in Sarthe France.

He joined the Diocese of the Armed Forces in 2004 and spent seven years working with the military worldwide. In Afghanistan, he was involved in an ambush in which 10 soldiers were killed.