BERLIN (RNS) Bishop Margot Kaessmann, the first female head of Germany’s Protestant church, stepped down from her position Wednesday (Feb. 24) amid controversy surrounding her arrest on Saturday for drunk driving.

Kaessmann, 51, said she had made a “serious mistake” which she “deeply” regretted, reported the EPD, the official news service of the Evangelical (Lutheran) Church in Germany.

“The office and my authority as a regional bishop and the head of the council have been damaged,” she said. “I would not have had, in the future, my freedom to point out ethical and political challenges and to make judgments as I do now.”

Kaessmann not only stepped down from her national role, but also as the bishop for the district surrounding the central German city of Hanover. She will continue to work as a minister.

News of the Saturday night arrest broke into the open on Tuesday with reports in a tabloid magazine. The EPD eventually reported that she had been found driving her church-owned car with a blood alcohol level of .154, three times the legal limit in Germany.

A police investigation is still underway, but she could face a fine equivalent to one month’s salary and loss of her driver’s license for up to 12 months, reported the EPD.

Some supporters attributed the incident to the stress of the job. Other groups, including the liberal Catholic group We Are Church, said it regretted her decision, calling it a loss to Christianity.

The Lutheran church, Germany’s largest, had publicly backed Kaessmann after the incident and told her the decision to stay or go was hers. Kaessmann was elected to her position only four months ago.

Her position will temporarily be filled by her deputy, Nikolaus Schneider, until the next church synod, probably in November.