Ulm, Germany - The Evangelical Church in Germany, the country's main Protestant umbrella body, Wednesday elected a female bishop as its leader. Bishop Margot Kaessmann, 51 is the first woman to lead Germany's 25 million Protestants. She takes over from Wolfgang Huber, 67, who is retiring.
The charismatic Kaessmann, who has been bishop in Hanover for more than 10 years, received 132 out of 142 votes at a meeting of the church in Ulm.
She said after her election that she wanted to work for more social justice and draw more people to the faith with a contemporary church.
Kaessmann made headlines in 2007 when she filed for divorce from her husband of 26 years.
