Readers find forgiveness for some religious figures, but not all

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Top German protestant bishop caught drunk driving

She is my kind of bishop. We need more like her. -- Alan Garfield, Great Britain

Bishop Margot has proved she is human with all its faults. But when you head-up such an organization is not more expected of you? Go back to the Bible, and see the qualities required of such leaders and reconsider your position with dignity and don't wait for the embarrassment for all of calls for your resignation. Leaders are always under attack so I would call for every Christian to pray for her and for the church she heads. -- John Robinson, Spain

The bishop made a mistake - she admits it, the public prosecutor will indubitably prosecute her under the law and she will plead guilty. The likely penalty is a 30-day sentence and a year's driving ban. The suggestion that she should resign is ridiculous. She shows that she is human! Good! -- Richard Spencer, Great Britain

The Russian Orthodox Church is right: A female priest in a Christian church is against all traditions and scriptures. Luther would not have approved! She is right to be against the German involvement in Afghanistan but wrong to drive in a drunken state. Luther was not against enjoying a good drink! -- Krapotkin, US

Germany urges Catholic Church to come clean on child abuse

Kaessmann has been criticized by the Russian Orthodox Church for being unsuitable

Please have a party investigate and not just rely on the Church to "come clean." Self reporting does not report everything. The German Church will needs outside investigation to avoid cover-ups. In the US the Catholic Church self-reported to the John Jay Study. Grand Jury investigations in Philadelphia revealed a different picture than the John Jay Report because people outside the hierarchy of the Church did the investigation. -- Aline Frybarger, US

The sex abuse crimes committed by members of the Catholic Church throughout the Western world, and not prosecuted to the full extent of the law, clearly show that our so-called secular democracies are just a farce and mockery. When a Church recognizes through a statement of their own "... that significant measures have now been taken to ensure the safety and young people ..." involved in church-led activities, it also clearly shows that theocratic centralism (through the Vatican and its subordinates) must be eliminated for the safety of a country and its people. I recommend that all services of the Catholic Church be suspended until a full investigation is completed. -- Hans Reuther-Fix, Antigua

The Church has worked very hard to hide the scandal regarding sex abuse by priests. They have spent huge sums of money for lawyers and public relations firms to help them in their cover-up. Their actions have been extremely un-Christian. -- Charles Reisz, US

These priests are worse than so-called "ordinary pedophiles," because they call themselves men of God. They are hypocrites and should not only be kicked out of the church for good, but should also serve some time in prison, and their details kept on file so that they can never apply again to another church, somewhere else, in the future. -- Karen J. Hardman, Germany

Compiled by Stuart Tiffen
Editor: Nancy Isenson