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- [Jenna] Tonight, the tragedy in Paris.
How some Catholics believe the blaze
that hollowed out theCathedral of Notre Dame
is symbolic of a Catholicdecline in Europe.
- That some people did something.
- [Amber] And a first termMuslim congresswoman's remarks
have ignited a firestorm.
How the president poured gas on that fire.
- The standard needs to change.
- [Jenna] Plus the crisis at the border,
a new plan to changeasylum laws in the US.
- [Amber] And how scientific evidence
is painting a vividaccount of the crucifixion.
- [Jenna] All this and moretonight on Faith Nation.
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- Our Lady of Paris stillstanding tall tonight.
Welcome to Faith Nation.
I'm Jenna Browder.
- And I'm Amber Strongfilling in for John Jessup,
who's traveling.
- Well the Notre Dame Cathedral,
a symbol of global Christianity remains,
but what's left after a massive inferno
appears to be blackenedshell of a historic monument.
- Yeah, that's right, todayofficials are investigating
the cause, and CBN News'Ben Kennedy joins us now.
Ben, what do detectives thinkstarted the actual blaze?
- Well Amber and Jenna,
I can tell you prosecutorshave ruled out arson
and think it's likely to do
with a $6 million restoration project.
Detectives are looking intowhether a construction worker
could have accidentally sparked the fire.
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One of the world's most famous churches
visited by some 13 million each year
will remain as a key symbolof the Paris skyline.
(crowds gasp)
That certainly remained indoubt Monday as video captured
flames putting the NotreDame Cathedral's future
in question.
- You could really smellthat it was old wood
that was burning and the heat.
- [Ben] It took nearly 500firefighters eight hours
to get the flames under control.
As the fire raged,hundreds gathered to pray.
(speaking foreign language)
- [Translator] So now, three hours later,
it's just sadness and despair.
- [Ben] Now, out ofthat despair comes hope
as France's president pledged to rebuild
- [Translator] The worst wasavoided, even if the battle
has not been completely won.
This cathedral, we will rebuild it.
- [Ben] The cross andaltar appearing unscathed,
while the Crown of Thorns,said to be worn by Jesus
on his crucifixion, was saved,
along with the cathedral'sprimary structure
and two main towers.
Now hundreds of millions of dollars
have already been pledgedfor a reconstruction project
that could take decades.
But back here in DC,
I just spoke with the dean
at the Washington National Cathedral,
who has also reached outto their sister cathedral
offering help.
- First iconic photograph
of flames shooting outthe top of Notre Dame,
I was, I had to stop right there
and just take a moment for prayer.
It was devastating to see.
- Do you feel like manydid what you just did,
turned to prayer during this time?
- I think so.
I think there are these buildings,these places in our world
that are iconic for lotsof different reasons.
For many of us, are iconic spiritually,
you know, for what they mean
and the history thatthey hold within them.
For others, they're iconicculturally or artistically.
And when something happens
to one of these incrediblestructures, we all pause.
And as someone who'sthe dean of a cathedral,
of course, it's especially poignant for me
as I think about the energyand the love and the work
and the dedication and the importance
that a cathedral like thathas for so many people.
- Brought up a good point there.
It survived World War II.
- Yep.
- It's nearly 900 years old.
And then for this to happen.
Do you feel like this isgoing to have an impact
on Christians worldwide?
Will it bring people together?
- For Americans, that and other cathedrals
like Canterbury Cathedralor Chartres Cathedral,
they're iconic about ancient Christianity
and iconic about the beautyand the traditions of our faith
that go back for so long.
I mean you figure Notre Dame's 850 years
of history, faith, andtradition in that one building.
- The Washington National Cathedral
is one of the few globallyknown Gothic cathedrals
along with the one in Paris.
Do you feel like you share a certain bond?
- Absolutely.
I know, as I said yesterday,
as a sister cathedral to Notre Dame,
there's many influences and inspiration
that places like Notre Dame or Chartres
or Canterbury or many other cathedrals,
those inspirations are present here
in the structure of this building, right.
I mean the beauty of thatearly Gothic cathedral
of course heavily influenceshow we did this cathedral
in the 20th century.
The difference her, of course, is that,
because we are a 20th century cathedral,
our roof structures areall steel and concrete.
There is no wood that holdsup the roof of this cathedral,
whereas, in all the ancient cathedrals,
they used entire treesfor each slat of the roof.
I mean I think they saidsomething like there's close to,
almost 60 acres of timberin the roof of Notre Dame.
- So were you notsurprised to hear it took
nearly 12 hours to getthe flames under control?
- You know, no, it didnot surprise me at all.
That's the great danger of some of these,
of our ancient cathedralsand why it's so important
that we be very careful with them.
- The dean told me theWashington National Cathedral
is still making repairs fromthe earthquake a few years back
so they know the impact ofhaving support of the community
and fellow cathedrals canhave during times like this.
Ben Kennedy, CBN News, Washington.
- Father Paul Scalia is a Catholic priest
and at the Diocese of Arlington
and the son of the lateSupreme Court Justice
Antonin Scalia, and he joins us now.
Father Paul, thank you somuch for speaking with us.
- Thank you.
Good to be with you.
- Notre Dame is one ofthe most notable symbols
of Catholicism in Europe.
What does it mean from a historical
and from a cultural perspective
to see what happened yesterday?
- Well, obviously, froma cultural perspective,
it's a great loss.
There's just so much great art and beauty
that was lost in that fire.
But it's also a great loss for Catholics
because our wholeunderstanding of a church is,
you know, it's not just a building,
not just a pretty place,but for us, a sacred place,
a place that's been consecrated,
that's been dedicated to divine worship,
and so the damage there, wecan recover from it of course
and the true church isbuilt of living stones,
but that fire deals a greatloss and is a great pain
both culturally and spiritually as well.
- People wept in the streetsthere in Europe yesterday,
or in Paris yesterday.
But we see people weepinghere in the United States.
How has this affectedCatholics across the country?
- I think with that same sadness
because the church is such a great sign
and symbol of somethingsacred and of a sacred calling
that we all sort of feel.
And it's an embodiment of what we believe.
I mean that's the whole purpose of it.
And especially thatarchitectural style and era,
that was really sort of the high point,
you know, the FrenchGothic, the high point
of architecture in the Catholic Church.
It embodies the faith so strongly,
and so to see it collapse like that is,
it's something that touchesevery Catholic heart,
not just those in France.
- Watching the firehollowing the cathedral,
it's hard to dismiss the symbolism.
Do you see a symbolismwhen it comes to that
and the decline ofCatholicism across Europe?
- You know, it's hard not to
have that come to mind, isn't it?
But some have said maybethis can be a call to,
especially the French,to return to their roots,
which of course are inthe Catholic Church.
And you know, why do we mournthe loss of that church?
Why is it so painful?
And it's because it touchessomething deeper within us
and, please God, thatcan be an occasion for us
to return to those more important things
which, of course, aren'tin brick and stone
and mortar and wood,but the spiritual truths
and the graces that form us.
- How does the church,where do we go from here?
How does the church rebuild?
- Well, I mean literally,of course, just to rebuild.
I mean we've had plenty of fires
and churches been destroyedplenty of times before
and great landmarks andgreat, beautiful cathedrals
and basilicas have, we'vesuffered the loss of them before.
And now it's really a time of renewal,
and I think that's theway it should be viewed.
Okay, this damage hasbeen done to the church
and maybe we should take that as a sign
of the damage that'sbeen done to the church
as Christ's body, and first of all,
that spiritual renewalthat this calls for,
but then also the physical renewal
of rebuilding that church,
of returning the divine worship to it.
That should be the goal.
- Father Paul Scalia,
thank you so much for joining us today.
- Thank you.
God bless you now.
- Well to Capitol Hill tonight.
A first term congresswoman
says she is experiencing anincrease in death threats
following a weekendtweet from the president.
- That's right, PresidentTrump's post of an edited video
with Muslim CongresswomanIlhan Omar's remarks
has become a lightning rod for Democrats,
accusing the presidentof inciting violence.
- They recognized thatsome people did something.
- [Jenna] The tweetheard around the world.
President Trump's post of an edited video,
splicing a Muslim congresswoman's remarks
with images of 9/11.There is smoke
pouring out the Pentagon.
- [Jenna] Is shining a spotlight
on a nearly month-old speech.
- This is an incitement to violence
against Congresswoman Omar,
against our fellow Americanswho happened to be Muslim.
- [Jenna] The president's focus
on the first term representative's remarks
is a lightning rod forDemocratic candidates.
- Friends of mine werekilled in those towers.
- [Jenna] Cory Bookercalled the president's tweet
crass and disgusting.
- From what she said in her speech,
she does not deserve the kind of vicious,
hate-filled attacksthat she's experiencing,
threats on her life right now.
- [Jenna] Omar's characterizationof the Twin Tower attacks
came during a speech beforea Muslim advocacy group
founded in 1994.
- CAIR was founded after 9/11
because they recognized thatsome people did something
and that all of us were starting to lose
access to our civil liberties.
- [Jenna] Speaker Nancy Pelosi
seemed to take a veiledjab at the president
and Omar's flippancy, stating, quote:
The memory of 9/11 is sacred ground,
and any discussion of itmust be done with reverence.
- I find what her commentsto be absolutely disgraceful.
- [Jenna] White House PressSecretary Sarah Sanders
defended the president.
- It's a good thing that the president
is calling her out for those comments,
and the big questionis why aren't Democrats
doing it as well?
- And President Trump'strip to Minnesota yesterday
was a seemingly calculated choice
as he looks for 2020 gains.
Congresswoman Omar givesvoice to a large population
of Somali-American Muslims in Minnesota,
a state that PresidentTrump narrowly lost in 2016.
Well CBN News ChiefPolitical Analyst David Brody
joins us now for more.
- So David, we heardSpeaker Pelosi's statement
and her response to Trump,
but then there was kindof a double-edged sword,
so she took a swipe at thepresident and a swipe at Omar.
Why are Democrats so frustrated
with Speaker Pelosi's response so far?
- Well, first of all, theywant her obviously to be more,
come to the defense moreof Ilhan Omar and AOC
and many of the other, theliberal wing of the party,
but the problem though for Pelosi
is that she understandswhere the power is here.
And the power is withthe centrists to right,
or excuse me, centrists toleft, center-left Democrats,
not the far left.
But the energy is with the far left.
So the reality of stayingin power is center-left.
The energy is on the far left.
And I think that's the difference.
I will say this.
It's very, very importantto understand this.
When the Democrats wonthe midterm elections,
basically, when those Trump districts
that Trump won between 45and 55 percent in 2016,
you know, those swing districts,
Democrats flipped 27 of those districts,
so they understand that thatis where the bread is buttered
if they're gonna win in 2020 as well.
- David, one notable Democraticcandidate, Kamala Harris,
on the topic of Israel,
she's kind of taking a different approach,
separating herself fromthe rest of the pack.
What do you make of that?- Well, it's a smart move,
first of all.
I think any Democrat that,right now, can at least
push back a little bitagainst the far left
will do well, if and when they make it
to the general election.
Now, she may not makeit, but she's still doing
the right, smart thing, and here's why.
Look, ultimately, she'sopposing the BDS movement
that is big on the far left, right?
I mean she's even, I don'twant to say embracing APAC,
but she's not running away from APAC
so that's another point of contention.
She's also not calling outBenjamin Netanyahu in public
like many of these otherfar left candidates.
So she is being able to distance herself
and that would be a good thing
if she can figure out away to kind of parlay that
into being that center-left candidate
rather than going full to the left,
but she's far to the lefton a lot other issues.
That's part of the problem for her.
- So we gotta ask.
The long awaited- Uh-oh.
- Mueller report is finally coming.
AG, Attorney General Barr is expected
to release a redacted version, at least,
of the special counsel'sinvestigation on Thursday.
Talk about a Friday news dump,on Thursday, Thursday night.
What are we expecting to find from this
different from that three-or four-page summary.
- Well it's gonna be interesting
because we're gonna read the report,
we're gonna look at it and we're gonna go
get to the juicy part,and then, redaction,
redaction, redaction.
Oh look, another paragraph.
Oh, there's a page of redactions
And so it could be a bitdeflating to a degree,
especially if you're acritic of this president.
Having said this, I thinkthat every Democratic
in the country on Thursdaywill be a Robert Mueller.
They will be their own special counsel.
They will go through thiswith a fine tooth comb
and say Robert Mueller, you got it wrong,
and let me explain why,
and they will go through allof the dirty little details
that they say of course it was collusion.
They're gonna find their way.
I kinda think of the Minions,you know Despicable Me
and all those yellowMinions running around.
All the Democrats willbe Minions on Thursday,
looking for something, talking like this.
- Well you have the president's team
also reportedly preparing for this dump
with their own report thatthey're gonna release in response
so maybe there's something to that.
Are they worried aboutwhat's gonna come out of this
or what people are gonna read into it?
- I think it's pretty predictable
that they're gonna have a response,
40 to 50 pages comparedto 400 for Mueller.
I think there is a cringefactor for this White House.
It's gonna be one of those,oh, Trump really did this,
or one of his aides really did that.
Doesn't necessarily mean it was illegal.
Doesn't mean it's impeachment.
But there is a bit of a cringeworthy,
like oh, that didn't look quite good here.
- And David, Democrats have teed up
the subpoena power for the full report.
Do you think it's likely thatthey'll actually go ahead
and issue that subpoena?
- Yeah, more than likely, 100%.
Because, remember, this isgonna be, as you guys know,
it's gonna be a redacted report
so they're gonna wantto see it unredacted,
and that's where the legal fight will be
because they want every nook and cranny,
every morsel of information,
and if you're not gonna getit in the redacted report,
they're gonna want to see everything
and it's gonna go to the Supreme Court.
I mean here's what's gonna happen.
Jerry Nadler and the HouseJudicicary Commitee's
gonna say yes, we want to see it,
Barr's gonna say no,
Congress is gonna take theAttorney General to court,
and then, eventually, it'llget to the Supreme Court
and it'll be decided, possibly,
sometime in the 2020 election
or maybe even beyond, who knows.
- Quick, quick question.
We got like 30 seconds
- All right, I'll be quick.- left, come on.
President Trump, is this good for him?
Does he use this going into 2020?
- Oh 100% because hisbottom line is no collusion,
so he's just gonna say that.
As a matter of fact,everybody says Barr's letter,
that it was Barr thatwas saying no collusion.
No, it wasn't.
It was Robert, he quoted RobertMueller in the Barr letter,
so Robert Mueller actually said
there was no conspiracy or collusion.
He actually doesn'tsay the word collusion.
He says no conspiracyby this administration.
- All right, well we're alllooking forward to Thursday.
- So am I.
- David Brody, thank you.
- Thank you.
- Well when we come back,
a new plan to solve theimmigration crisis at the border
and what that means forthe country's asylum laws.
(dramatic music)
Senator Lindsey Graham says he has a plan
to combat the crisis at the border,
and it involves an overhaulof the country's asylum laws.
- CBN News White HouseCorrespondent Ben Kennedy has more.
- Senator Lindsay Grahamsays he's got a plan
to combat the crisis at the border
and it involves an overhaulof the country's asylum laws.
This as the presidentcontinues to call for migrants
to be sent to sanctuary cities.
- So I'm gonna put alegislative package together.
- [Ben] The package would change the law
regarding how and whenthe US grants asylum.
- So I'll be introducing the package
and, hopefully, with Democratic support,
that would change our asylum laws.
90% of the people who applyfor asylum never make it
so the standard needs to change.
- [Ben] The presidentagrees, tweeting today:
Those illegal immigrants whocan no longer be legally held
will be subject to Homeland Security,
given to sanctuary cities and states.
- And they want more peoplein their sanctuary cities.
Well, we'll give them more people.
- [Ben] But legal questionsremain on that move
as lawyers at Homeland Securityinitially shot it down.
Democrats criticize it as retribution,
although mayors at someso-called sanctuary cities say
they're open to the idea.
Former Ambassador to theUN Nikki Haley added:
pick up the phone and callyour Congressional rep
and tell them to getback to DC and not leave
until they have a solutionon immigration reform.
- We're never gonna stop this
by just having walls andtroops at the border.
We have to change our lawso these people stop coming.
There's a narrative in Central America
that, if you can get toAmerica with a minor child,
you will never get deported,
and we have to change that storyline.
- Now Graham says his planwill be unveiled to the Senate
after the break.
The White House says sendingmigrants to sanctuary cities
is not their first choice, butthe president likes the idea.
If it were to happen, it wouldput thousands of migrants
in cities like Chicago,Denver, and even San Francisco.
Ben Kennedy, CBN News, Washington.
- [Amber] When we come back,
how science is revealing the details
of the agony and sufferingof the crucifixion
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- In the Bible, Jesus himself said,
"There's no greater love
"than lying down one's life for another."
He followed those wordsby sacrificing himself
for all mankind.
- As Paul Strand reports,a doctor's new book
provides a detailed medicalaccount of the crucifixion
to help us understand whatJesus faced on our behalf.
- We Christians all know Jesusdied for us on the cross,
but a doctor who studiedcrucifixion for a decade
says until you understood whatJesus went through medically,
it's hard to fully appreciate
just how much he sufferedto pay for our sins.
- It was the worst form ofdeath that was imaginable,
and the Romans had beenusing it for three centuries
by the time Jesus came along,so it was well perfected.
- [Paul] Dr. Joseph Bergeronwrote The Crucifixion of Jesus.
- Most often on Easter we hear talks about
how Jesus suffocatedwhile he was on the cross.
- [Paul] Bergeron, however,says suffocation doesn't gel
with the gospel accounts ofJesus talking on the cross.
- When you're suffocating and struggling
for your last breath, you have no interest
in carrying on a conversation.
- [Paul] The real cause of his death
first shows up in Christ'sown prophetic words
at the Last Supper.
- Jesus told us how he was gonna die.
He said this is my bloodwhich is poured out
for the remission of sins.
That's not suffocation.
That's bleeding to death.
That's shock.
That's the complications of shock.
- [Paul] That would be one explanation
for the odd occurrenceof Jesus sweating blood
in the Garden of Gethsemane.
- There are very few reportedcases, just a handful,
and they're always before severe injury,
the threat of injury, andusually before execution.
So that Jesus sweat drops of blood,
it meant that he fully understood
what was about to happen to him.
- [Paul] And then it began.
The Jews and Romansbludgeoned and tore his flesh
in two vicious beatings.
- Caiaphas and the Sanhedrinconvicted him of blasphemy,
which was punishable by death.
- [Paul] But under Roman rule,
the Jews had no authority to execute
so they physically andbrutally punished him.
Then a whole company ofRoman soldiers beat Jesus
nearly to death.
- They were anti-Semitic,and for this person
whose charge was basicallypolitical insurrection,
naming himself the King of the Jews,
would have heightened their anger.
So his beating exceeded what was typical
for crucifixion victims andhad extensive blood loss
and tissue injury from that.
- [Paul] So the shock set inbefore he reached Calvary.
- It looked like he wasbeginning to experience shock
just walking therebecause he couldn't carry
part of the cross to the crucifixion site.
He would've been expected to do that.
Everybody else did, but he could not.
- [Paul] Then came justabout the most painful
and humiliating executionthe Romans could administer.
- It was considered obscene.
A Roman citizen wouldn'teven ever be crucified.
It was meant for political insurgents,
rank criminals, and escaped slaves.
- It all punished Jesus'body with shock so traumatic
as to kill him hours soonerthan most people crucified.
Bergeron says shock wouldstop Christ's blood clotting
and kill him in just six hours.
- This is a very ominouscomplication difficult to control,
even in modern trauma centers.
In Jesus' time, therewould be no treatment
and it would lead to rapid death.
And it explains why Jesus died so rapidly.
- [Paul] Rapidly, but horribly,
which leaves Bergeronin awe of the sacrifice.
- That he would become ahuman being and come here
and do that to rectify ourrelationship as humans with God,
to redefine it and restoreto fellowship with God,
it's an amazing thing.
- [Paul] And on that cross,
Jesus Christ showed how simple it is
to find salvation in him.
- It's like the thief on the cross.
He didn't know what to say.
Said just please remember me.
And a sincere prayer fromanyone is never turned away.
And Jesus told him that hewould be in paradise that day.
- Bergeron realizes it's toughto face all the gory details
of Christ's death, but itcan make us love and respect
all the more a God willingto come down to Earth
and face such pain and agony
so people could becleansed from their sins
and spend eternity with him.
Paul Strand, CBN News, Washington.
- Thank you, Paul.
Great message
to send us out.- Yes, I'm there.
Amazing, on this week especially.
- Mm-hmm.
Well that's gonna do it forFaith Nation this evening.
- We'll see you tomorrow.
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