The German Times, March 2010
German Protestants have lost their shepherd, the “First Lady” of their soul. On Feb. 24, many Lutherans got a shock while others spent frantic hours on the phone or in front of their keyboards spreading the news. Margot Kässmann did what many expected her to do even while holding out the hope that she wouldn’t: She resigned, dashing the great hopes that many had placed in her, because she believed it was the right thing to do.
It is only four months since Kässmann, the bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran State Church of Hanover, became head of the council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD). Among the church’s 25 million active members, most would have unconditionally forgiven her the “serious error,” as she herself described it. On Feb. 20, she was stopped by police after running a red light in her official car and tested at a blood-alcohol content level of 0.154 percent, far above the legal limit.
For the majority of Germans – especially men – this would have been no reason to resign. Who among us has not sat behind the wheel after drinking alcohol? But for Kässmann, it was a different story: She considers her action incompatible with her position. “I would, in the future, no longer have the freedom I had before to speak out on ethical and political challenges,” she said upon resigning. It echoed Martin Luther’s statement to the Diet of Worms in 1521: “Here I stand. I can do no other.”
Kässmann embodies progressive mainstream in Germany. She has always spoken out on matters affecting society. The mother of four daughters has also talked openly about her divorce. She publicly objected to the Catholic Church’s ethical reservations on homosexuality and its opposition to the distribution of condoms to help prevent HIV infection; she has called for Rome to ordain women priests and lift the celibacy rule.
Only a few weeks ago, she sparked outrage in the political establishment when she used a New Year’s sermon to say that the war in Afghanistan “cannot be justified” because weapons “obviously do not facilitate peace.”
In her statement of resignation, Kässmann said that such outspoken criticism “can only be maintained if one’s personal authority to persuade is recognized without reservation.” She said her decision was out of consideration for the reputation of her office and her own self-respect and integrity “which mean a lot to me,” adding, “You cannot ever fall lower than God’s hand.”
Public reaction was mixed. The headline in the daily Berliner Zeitung read: “Kässmann remains true to herself and leaves.” It was an unusual measure to take in Germany: Most officials would have dismissed a drunk-driving incident as a permissible lapse in judgment and stayed in office. Tanjev Schultz, writing in the daily Süddeutsche Zeitung praised Kässmann’s decisive action: “Her resignation is not an act of weakness but of strength.” I agree.
The EKD council unanimously gave Kässmann their support, after which she made the decision to resign. Schultz again: “She responded with remorse to malice and answered humiliation with humility… Public life is not the be-all and end-all; giving it up at the right time is an art that many politicians and others don’t master.” Often, waiting too long means no one is sorry to see them go. But many Germans will shed a tear over the departure of Kässmann.