German Catholics Re-Elect Top Bishop

Amid the sensation and confusion surrounding federal elections over the past two days, the re-election of Germany's top bishop managed to leak through on Tuesday. Cardinal Karl Lehmann, who has led the German bishop's conference for the past 18 years, was re-elected by his peers on Tuesday morning. Lehmann, who didn't know himself whether he was ready to take on another six years as chairman of the conference, already reached the two-thirds majority needed to continue in the first round. The 69-year-old cardinal is seen as relatively liberal and his re-election received warm congratulations from the chancellor and the head of Germany's protestant community. The re-election "emphasizes the high regard and trust that you enjoy among bishops," Chancellor Gerhard Schröder wrote in a congratulatory note.