Germany’s top Lutheran bishop admits to drunk driving

BERLIN (RNS) The head of Germany’s Lutheran church faces a monetary fine and a temporary loss of her driver’s license after being caught driving with a blood alcohol content three times above the legal limit. Bishop Margot Kaessmann, 51, was arrested Saturday (Feb. 20) in the central German city of Hanover after she ran through […]

BERLIN (RNS) The head of Germany’s Lutheran church faces a monetary fine and a temporary loss of her driver’s license after being caught driving with a blood alcohol content three times above the legal limit.

Bishop Margot Kaessmann, 51, was arrested Saturday (Feb. 20) in the central German city of Hanover after she ran through a red light in her church-owned car, reported the EPD news agency, the official news service of the Evangelical Church in Germany, or EKD.

Tests showed that Kaessmann had a blood alcohol level of 0.154, according to the Hanover state’s attorney. Driving with a level of more than 0.05 is illegal in Germany. Kaessmann could face a fine equivalent to one month’s salary and loss of her driver’s license for up to 12 months, the EPD reported.


“I am shocked at myself, that I could have committed such a terrible mistake,” Kaessmann said Tuesday as the news spread throughout Germany. “I will certainly face the legal consequences of my actions.”

Kaessmann, the highest national religious authority for Germany’s 25 million Lutherans, was elected to her position only four months ago, and is the first woman to hold the post.

Kaessmann has canceled her activities for the rest of the week. The EKD did not say if there would be any internal sanctions against the bishop.

A divorcee, she has been honest about her personal failings. She has focused on assistance for the poor, children and refugees since taking office, but has also aroused controversy with comments against Germany’s military presence in Afghanistan, which some saw as a lack of support for military personnel.

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