Sign up for the editor's
weekly newsletter
- Germany edition
- Change edition:
- France |
- Norway |
- Sweden |
- Switzerland
Reader Offer
February 7, 2012
Protestants pick first woman to lead church
Published: 28 Oct 09 10:51 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20091028-22863.html
Hannover Bishop Margot Käßmann became the first woman to lead the Protestant church in Germany on Wednesday after the majority of the synod voted in her favour.
- 'White Rose' founder declared a saint (5 Feb 12)
- Wulff under fire over car lease deal (5 Feb 12)
- Wulff faces new claims of improprieties (1 Feb 12)
“With trust in God’s help I accept the vote,” she said.
Following the vote in Ulm, Käßmann, who has been at the helm of Germany’s largest regional church for more than 10 years, will lead all of Germany’s 25 million Protestants for the next six years.
Käßmann has proposed a radical course of reform for the Evangelische Kirche Deutschland (EKD), which suffers from shrinking congregations and revenues. In addition to streamlining the clergy, she plans to increase the church’s profile and improve strained relations with the Catholic Church.
The new leader will also have to reposition itself with Chancellor Merkel’s new centre-right government. The EKD has a tradition of lobbying for social and economic equality.
Käßmann is known as an outspoken, tolerant and humorous leader, having once said: “Crabby Christians are a contradiction in themselves.”
In 2006 the mother of four was diagnosed with breast cancer, but has since recovered.
She also divorced her husband of 26 years in 2007, a decision that sparked initial reactions varying from “open criticism to the point of malice, contempt and hatred,” as she described it in a memoir published last September.
The EKD was founded in 1945 as a multi-denominational federation of Lutheran, Reformed, and United Protestant church bodies. After Germany’s reunification, the EKD combined both East and West German Protestant churches in 1991.
DDP/DPA/The Local (news@thelocal.de)
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
Fark It!
Digg This
Share everywhere
Send to a friend
Printable version
Twitter ThisToday's headlines
Snow to follow record deep freeze
Germany shivered through record low temperatures of -29 degrees Celsius overnight, but the German Weather Service has forecast an even deeper freeze ahead of snow showers midweek. READ (5 COMMENTS) »
Robust Germany faces rising 'burnout' problem
Germany, holding up better than its eurozone partners in the current economic crisis, is battling the increasingly widespread phenomenon of "burnout" which is supposedly costing its economy billions of euros each year. READ (10 COMMENTS) »
Car thieves discover dead baby
Four young car thieves in the western German state of Saarland notified the police on Sunday night after they stumbled on the corpse of a small baby in the boot of a car they were breaking into. READ (4 COMMENTS) »
Children sit in front row at bloody sex opera
One of Germany’s most famous opera houses, Dresden’s Semperoper, gave teenagers front row seats to the premiere of its new production of Alban Berg’s “Lulu” – which centres on a murderous prostitute. READ (11 COMMENTS) »
Former spy boss moves to Deutsche Bank
Ernst Uhrlau, former head of Germany’s foreign intelligence agency the BND, has been on the payroll of Germany’s biggest bank since the start of February, just two months after his retirement. READ (2 COMMENTS) »
Sarkozy looks to Merkel for re-election help
Increasingly citing Germany as a model for France, President Nicolas Sarkozy will look to give his re-election hopes a boost Monday in a joint TV interview with Chancellor Angela Merkel. READ (3 COMMENTS) »
Man rescued from canoe on frozen river
A man had to be rescued from the frozen River Elbe in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein on Sunday after his canoeing trip in sub-zero temperatures turned out not to be such a good idea. READ (5 COMMENTS) »
Leftist crime on the rise
New figures on politically-motivated crime show a sharp increase in leftist crime in Germany last year, along with a slight fall in right-wing crime, it was revealed Monday. READ (2 COMMENTS) »
More Society
- 06/02 Robust Germany faces rising 'burnout' problem (10 comments) »
- 06/02 Leftist crime on the rise (2 comments) »
- 06/02 Man rescued from canoe on frozen river (5 comments) »
- 06/02 Children sit in front row at bloody sex opera (11 comments) »
- 05/02 'White Rose' founder declared a saint (7 comments) »
- 05/02 Bavarian school bars 'impolite' greetings (28 comments) »
- 04/02 Coldest night yet grips chilled Germany (6 comments) »
- 03/02 Bestiality brothels spur call for animal sex ban (55 comments) »
- 03/02 Public transport fare dodging an 'epidemic' »
- 02/02 Compassion needed for homeless out in cold (1 comment) »
Highlights
See all ads | Join the Marketplace
-
Keith Tanner - Postbank Vermögensberatung
Your British adviser at major German bank -
KFZ-Sachverstaendigenbuero Detlef Buchwald
I am an unaffiliated and impartial automotive appraiser -
COMPEXX FINANZ AG
Financial services in English: insurance, pensions, investments, mortgages -
tolingo professional translation service
fast and reliable translations in over 35 languages -
British Corner Shop
British Corner Shop is the online supermarket for British Expats. -
British Allsorts
Your Corner shop in Munich -
Greenback Expat Tax Services
US expat tax preparation services for American owned companies in Germany
Sponsored Links
- EXPATTAX - German tax advice in English language - nationwide
- Dolores - Berlin's best California-style burritos!
- Learn German in Germany at one of the largest German schools in Berlin: ESL IH Berlin – booking made easy with ESL – Sprachreisen
- Hundreds of job opportunities for foreign professionals in Germany
- Translation and English writing services
- Find the right relationship
- Your advertisement here
Jobs in Germany, in English
929 jobs available
667 new jobs this week
0 new jobs today
- 1st and 2nd Level Application Support Engineer (f/m)
- Technology Development Engineer IGBT (f/m)
- Building Service Engineer (m/f)
- Senior Program Manager -TV team
- New Business Executive Sales (DACH)
- Senior Sales Manager
- Sales Engineer FIAT German Automotive Supplier, Office Turin
- Director Medical Affairs Prasugrel (Efient®) (m/ f)
- Program Manager m/f Friction Products Europe
- Project leader
Blog
Essentials
Dating
Looking for your own blonde bombshell? Or is the strong, silent type more your
style? Find a German sweetheart here.
Weather
"After clouds comes clear weather," say the Germans. But what about after that? Find out in The Local's weather
section.
Blog
German stuff that's distracting us today.
Noticeboard
Whether you want to buy, sell, hire, announce or promote something, here's the place to do it - completely free of
charge.
Discuss
Debate the news, ask for advice, make friends - or just let off steam.
Register
Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss
News from the Goethe-Institut
- Adventure Travel in Poetic Worlds – An Interview with Thomas Wohlfahrt
In an interview, Thomas Wohlfahrt, the director of the Berlin Literaturwerkstatt, talks about experiences, impulses and formats, and takes a position on the situation of poetry in Germany.... - The Plight of Young Germans
Two books, two authors, two different perspectives on the present – the one writes about feelings, the other about money.... - “Nowhere do I see a theocracy in the making” – Volker Perthes on the Arab Revolution
An interview about the present and the future of the Arab bloc.... - Unruly Art Neighbor as Guest – Polish Art in Berlin
Occasioned by Poland’s EU Presidency, there were a series of exhibitions in Berlin in late 2011. - Different from the Rest of the World – The Berlin Foundation “Respekt!”
Inside knowledge about the techno, punk and hip-hop scenes is collected by the Archive of Youth Cultures.
News from Young Germany
- Weimar has the best international university in Germany
The Bauhaus University in Weimar, Thuringia, describes itself as being eager to experiment, open... - New law clears way for recognition of degrees and training earned abroad
The Upper House of the German Parliament, the Bundesrat, has approved groundbreaking legislation... - Deutsche Literatur im Netz
Wer sich im Ausland für deutsche Literatur interessierte, hatte es früher nicht immer leicht, an... - German research vessel begins Antarctic expedition
The Polarstern—a German research vessel operated by the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and... - Science - a powerhouse of ideas
Scientific insights that can change our world are at the centre of a special scientific conference...
News from DeutschlandOnline
- Fewer animal experiments thanks to nanosensors
Countless mice, rats and rabbits die every year in the name of science – and the situation is... - German employers split over campaign to ban smoking breaks
Employers in Germany have launched a campaign to ban all smoking in the workplace, not just... - Marine Research in Kiel is heading towards new shores
Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel established On January 1, 2012 the former Leibniz... - Federal Foreign Minister Westerwelle: Laying down ambitious and binding rules for the euro
Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle issued the following statement in Berlin today (11...
Noticeboard
- 05/02 English Lessons via Skype
- 04/02 English Tutoring in Frankfurt
- 01/02 Need help to move stuff? Man with a van
- 30/01 VISITING AFRICA CHOOSE GHANA
- 30/01 Wine & Sensor Course
- 28/01 Wanted Partner
Toytown Germany
- 05:39 I've decided to become German
- 03:48 No heater found in rooms in my apartment
- 01:45 Young expats in Munich
- 01:34 Best burger restaurants in Frankfurt
- 01:23 Ice-skating meetups 2011
- 01:14 Meet up for indecisive 20-somethings
- 01:00 Resume in English or German
- 00:35 Working for the Commissary in Germany?
- 23:40 Shocking scenes! MIA at Superbowl
- 23:36 Ex-freelancer, now employed - Health Insurance
Hotel reservations in Berlin
Visiting Berlin anytime soon? Book your hotel in Berlin here.
Visiting Berlin anytime soon? Book your hotel in Berlin here.
Rental apartments in Berlin
For home-from-home holiday accommodation, search for a Berlin apartment to rent.
For home-from-home holiday accommodation, search for a Berlin apartment to rent.
Trade CFDs with InterTrader.com
Start trading shares, equities, forex, etc. No commission on equities; Low min. margins. Apply for a CFDs account now!
Start trading shares, equities, forex, etc. No commission on equities; Low min. margins. Apply for a CFDs account now!
Your comments about this article:
At least they won't have to put up with you.