Germany's Lutheran head Bishop quits after drink driving arrest

[Pastor Dale Morgan]

False Churches, False Brethren, False Gospels

Germany's Lutheran head Bishop quits after drink driving arrest

The Female head Bishop of Germany's Protestant Lutheran church resigned on Wednesday after she was caught driving her £80,000 official limousine while three times over the drink-drive limit, an incident she said had undermined her authority.
 

Published: 5:56PM GMT 24 Feb 2010

Germany's Lutheran head arrested for drink driving



Police pulled over Bishop Margot Kaessmann, 51, at the wheel of her powerful VW Phaeton car after she ran a red light in Hanover on Saturday.

A positive breath test resulted in her being driven to a police station where she gave a blood sample, the results of which were released on Tuesday morning by the public prosecutor's office in the city.
 
She had a blood-alcohol reading of 1.54 mg – over three times the legal limit.

"I made a serious mistake that I regret deeply," said Mrs Kaessmann, who was elected only last October as the first woman to head Germany's Lutheran church.

"My heart tells me very clearly that I cannot remain in office with the necessary authority," she added. "I would no longer have in the future the same freedom that I have had to name and judge ethical and political challenges."

During her brief time in office, Mrs Kaessmann proved willing to give the Protestant church a voice of authority, wading into key political issues. Her repeated calls for Germany to walk away from the mission in Afghanistan have been a thorn in the side of the Berlin government.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said she accepted Kaesmann's decision "with respect and regret," adding that she had valued working together with the bishop.

A mother of four, Mrs Kaessmann is the only divorced Bishop in the country.