Lady bishops not faring well in Germany

This is turning out to be a tough year for lady bishops in the land of Luther. In February, Dr. Margot Käßmann, chairperson of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany and the bishop of the largest Lutheran territorial church in Germany, resigned after being cited for running a red light while intoxicated. Although not the crime of the century by any stretch of the imagination, the high profile ecumenical leader felt her "personal power to convince" would be hampered by the incident.

Now, the first woman ever elected bishop in Germany has resigned amid allegations of negligence in dealing with reports of sexual misconduct in her diocese. Note the rationale she gives for her resignation and its similarity to that given by Dr. Käßmann, and you will realize just how on target Dr. Holger Sonntag was in his blistering critique of the novelty of female bishops.

The first woman elected to serve as a Lutheran bishop has resigned, following allegations of failing to investigate cases of sexual abuse in her diocese.

The Bishop of Hamburg, Rt. Rev. Maria Jepsen, who in 1992 was elected leader of the North Elbian Lutheran Church and became the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Germany’s (EKD) first woman bishop, resigned on July 16, telling reporters she could not continue in office with her integrity in doubt.

A diocesan committee has been investigating allegations that a pastor in the town of Ahrensburg had molested approximately 20 children in the 1980s. Bishop Jepsen said she had only become aware of cases in March of this year when she received a letter from one of the victims.

However, the news magazine Der Spiegel and the newspaper Hamburger Abendblatt have contradicted these claims, stating the bishop knew of the priest’s suspected behavior in 1999.

“My credibility has been contested,” Bishop Jepsen told reporters in Hamburg. “For that reason, I do not see myself in a position to continue to spread God’s word as I had promised.”

H/T to MCJ.