Difficult church office: EKD chairwoman: I will hold the office for three years

According to her own words, Hamburg Bishop Kirsten Fehrs assumes that she will step down as council chairwoman of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) once her current term of office expires. “I will hold the office itself for three years. Then the next council chair will come,” she told the “Tagesspiegel” (Tuesday).

The 63-year-old was only elected in November and was previously the incumbent council chairwoman. At the end of 2023, Annette Kurschus came under pressure during the annual meeting of the synod in Ulm because she is said to have known many years ago that a church employee at the time was sexually assaulting. When asked about her predecessor’s resignation, Fehrs said: “I would absolutely have preferred that this question had never arisen.”

A lot of responsibility and burden

The office is not always easy, emphasized Fehrs: “I was ready to say in 2021 that I could imagine doing this voluntary work under certain circumstances. The decision to make myself available again now was not easy, but consistent.” The office means “a lot of responsibility and, to be honest, a burden.” As council chairwoman, she has to represent positions to the outside world that have been developed in lengthy processes.

When it comes to abuse, things aren’t always easy either. “Anyone who, like me, deals intensively with the issue of sexual violence always makes themselves vulnerable,” explained Fehrs. “It is always possible for mistakes to happen, even if you act to the best of your knowledge and belief. But there is no alternative to taking action.”

Staying on course in this tension is challenging: “There are people who shower me with anger as an institution representative. Having to endure that is also part of reality.”