Question of morality?

Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg invited Bishop Margot Kaessmann for a personal meeting after the church leader gave a forceful indictment of the morality of the German military mission in Afghanistan during her New Year's sermon.

"I want to hear from the bishop herself how she came to her opinion," Guttenberg told the Leipziger Volkszeitung newspaper, after Kaessmann called for a concrete plan for a withdrawal of troops.

The two are due to meet on January 11.

In an interview she gave at Christmas, Kaessmann said, "This war is not justifiable, even by the broadest possible standards of the German Protestant Church."

In a statement released by her office on Tuesday, Kaessmann welcomed the chance to speak to Guttenberg and said she intended to discuss "the ethical position of the Protestant Church and the government's Afghanistan policy" with the minister.

Comments clarified

Kaessmann also clarified her comments, saying she had never called for an immediate troop withdrawal, but rather for a "clear plan" for withdrawal.

Ruprecht Polenz, of the ruling Christian Democratic Union, welcomed Kaessmann's revised statement. "I'm glad that she is now taking up a position that is much closer to what is, shall we say, the opinion of the majority of the parliament," Polenz told public broadcaster WDR.

"I am very grateful that both churches are helping to support our troops with spiritual guidance," Guttenberg said. "I am certain that Mrs. Kaessmann does not want to see that debased."

Protestant bishops also gave Kaessmann their support on Tuesday. "A lot of people don't understand why the mission is necessary and what its purpose is. And it's not clear how it can be ended," said Bishop Maria Jepsen of Hamburg.

Berlin bishop Markus Droege said that a continuation of the Afghanistan mission was only morally acceptable if the government gave "a long-overdue definition of its aim and an exit strategy."

Catholic military bishop Walter Mixa also called for "an open and honest debate about the situation our soldiers are in and their mission." Mixa said that the question of whether the mission was justified "is always relevant."

bk/epd/dpa
Editor: Nancy Isenson