The church of St. Peter at Berlin, notwithstanding the total difference between them in the style of building, appears in some respects to have a great resemblance to St. Paul's in London.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
St. Paul's arose like some huge mountain above the enormous mass of smaller buildings.
St. Paul was making it impossible to be Jewish and Christian at the same time. What is very striking about those early churches and communities is that you could be both. Under Paul, though, you absolutely couldn't.
Oddly enough, I'm not religious but I'm also very fond of St Peter's in Rome. When I'm there, I always know there's a good meal not far away.
In my growing-up years in Germany, I attended church in many different locations and circumstances - in humble back rooms, in impressive villas, and in very functional modern chapels.
The Epistle to the Romans is an extremely important synthesis of the whole theology of St. Paul.
In Britain I love spending time at the St. James's, the Jumeirah Carlton Tower on Cadogan Place, and the Mayfair Hotel. We've got some spectacular hotels tucked away in London, but because I live there, I don't get to spend as much time in them as I probably would like to.
Wherever the bishop appears, there let the people be, even as wheresoever Christ Jesus is, there is the catholic church.
It is particularly moving, and I can say this also as a Protestant Christian, that a German - one of us - has been made Pope.
People have really strong images of what church is, and it's almost certainly not the same as mine.
St. Paul's Chapel stands - without so much as a broken window. Little miracle.