Mind the Auld Alliance. Or Vieille Alliance. Or An Seann-chaidreachas.

From Edinburgh to Paris one must find the beauty in any tragedy and there is this, the world has been moved.

The Auld Alliance goes back to just about the time Norte Dame was built.

My only visit to Paris taught me 3 things. How to appreciate really good food. What it means to be inside an art gallery and why Norte Dame is one of the most incredible forces in humanities history and even now today.

It will rise again. The rallying around this will be a thing of beauty.

Few things inspire us forever. Ken Follet wrote a book called Pillars of the Earth about medieval Cathedrals and they were made as ultimate churches of churches and a church is where the folk gather for protection during hard times from, anything.

In ’05 after the tsunami that hit India I helped some 800 unhoused people survive in a Nunnery that they had vacated by Catholic Nuns. When push came to shove the Nuns roughed it and gave up their massive home to 800 homeless and my relief work team. We had been dispatched by my religion and we made an impact! We also paired with Buddhist monks and Islamic volunteers while on the ground. No one gave 2 shits which creed was lending a hand, we all just rolled our sleeves up and mucked in. At the end of the day we all dined together and who was allowed to drink or not was not a question, anyone who needed a wine to help with sleep – got it.

Ken Follet’s works inspired me to become a stone mason. It’s a rare trade but one any competent construction engineer can do. It’s an ancient trade but the maths simple. Well explained in the novel. 3,4,5 is a formula that can give you a 90 degree angle, if you know how.

Almost every churches design can be assigned to it’s master mason and the size of his yard stick. Other masons based their stick measurement (to cut stone) off his yardstick – thus the term. Get the weight wrong and it came crumbling down – 1000 years ago this was going on.

Every one of these Cathedrals and a vast majority of churches from any religion are statements of success in not only engineering but inspiration.

When I arrived at Norte Dame my girlfriend and I huffed about a dress code insisting a womens shoulders not be exposed inside as old fashioned until we got inside and the awe struck hit us and left us well awe struck.

It does humble the soul with inspiration. Demands respect. Wants one to be dressed with dignity. Carry manners and well meaning.

It’s no secret it is part of the psychological power of religion. It’s also no secret that it works and has the desired effect on people.

These ancient pillars of succor bring us together in our hearts as a species as much as our massive achievements, not only in unity but science and engineering. Which these buildings also represent. Whether they be a pyramid or a church. They are all icons of achievement, succor and unity in the sense of what can be achieved if we work together.

They sit there in the background and offer a little sense of surviveabilty knowing they’ve survived the wars the world over since they came to be. Not all have but those which have are icons of survival.

In the year we’re going to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing we are going to witness a uniting of people the world over to rally behind this restoration – it’ll be a thing of beauty.

Science and religion do just need to find a middle ground – they both have a point worth making. There are heavens but we wont get their by pray and inspiration alone. Or just rocket fuel either. They need to come together to work.

But with Norte Dame science and religion made a seldom truce and got the job done. 1000 years ago it didn’t matter if you were a christian or muslim stone cutter – if you could cut and lay the stones right you got a job on the site – no matter ones creed. If you could cut stone you could cut stone. The religious wars were happening in Jerusalem.

She is Our Lady of Paris, but she is also Oor Lady of Edinburgh, if I may, as she touched my heart and brought a tear to my eye. It’s not a point of creed or nationality.

Human achievement is one thing – how we got there is another.

Roslin Chapel stands in our midst in Edinburgh and our sharing of ancient Cathedrals is hardly exclusive, but the Auld Alliance is.

You took over my stomach with your food. Stole my heart with your galleries and touched my soul with Notre Dame.

Current politics included, Scotland stands again with France, Edinburgh with Paris and me with any place of worship or human achievement.

If I can help rebuild in any way – I would be honoured.

My local parish, built around the same time as Norte Dame has ‘Resurgam’ on it’s crest which is apt.

Bear in mind while NASA got us to the Moon 50 years ago – someone said look up 2000 odd years ago.

Norte Dame is one of the few places where science, religion and engineering became pals again.

It’s what we can achieve when we work together.

Oor Lady.