He argued that having a Christian house of worship is more important than a church tower which at times was more a symbol of pride than a symbol of Christian humility. He was willing to sacrifice the tower, or to shorten it, if this would help him to obtain a permit for the building. His attitude may have been an important factor in the tremendous increase in number of churches in his diocese: from about 60 in 1962 to about 130 in the year 2000.[9]