19 February 2015, The Tablet

Slow ascent


 
As a man of 6ft 3in, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne is used to towering over people. But when it comes to preaching from the pulpit in his new cathedral he starts to get vertigo.  “When I stand up there and realise how high up I am, my heart begins to race and I’m frightened of toppling over the parapet, and so I start stammering in the sermon,” he told the German tabloid  Express. He wasn’t giving up though, he said, and wanted to practise going up a
Get Instant Access

Continue Reading


Register for free to read this article in full


Subscribe for unlimited access

From just £30 quarterly

  Complete access to all Tablet website content including all premium content.
  The full weekly edition in print and digital including our 179 years archive.
  PDF version to view on iPad, iPhone or computer.

Already a subscriber? Login