Catholic scandals tops list of stories for year

The woes of the Catholic Church and its controversial handling of sexually abusive priests topped the list of the nation's religion stories for 2002.

The clergy sexual abuse scandal and the revelations from dioceses across the nation that abusive priests were moved to new assignments without notifying parishioners or authorities topped the list of religion stories, according to a vote of the Religion Newswriters Association.

Each year RNA, an nonprofit organization of journalists who cover religion, conducts a poll of its membership to find the top 10 stories of the year. Four of the 10 stories that made the list were related to the scandal.

But the top story came as no surprise to anyone.

"It's everywhere," said Dr. Kerry Wynn, who is campus ministries liaison at Southeast Missouri State University. Wynn also teaches some religion courses at the university.

Conversations about the clergy sex abuse scandal, Islam and the discovery of an ossuary that is believed to hold the remains of James, the brother of Jesus, were hot topics of discussion among students during the year, Wynn said.

But none of the stories were hopeful or optimistic; the list seemed to be filled with negatives, Wynn said. "I wish it could have been better."

Here is the list of top 10 stories:

1. Clergy sexual abuse scandal. Dioceses around the nation, including the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Diocese, disclosed that bishops moved abusive priests to new assignments without notifying parishioners. Some bishops also agreed to secret settlements with victims instead of going public. Locally, three priests were stripped of their titles years after they were accused of sexually abusing minors.

2. Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston resigned as archbishop after protests about how he handled abusive priests. Law served as bishop of the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Diocese from 1974 to 1983. More than 400 lawsuits have been filed against the Boston archdiocese, which is considering bankruptcy.

3. Comments by evangelicals, like Franklin Graham, about Islam as an "evil and wicked" religion create controversy. The Bush administration attempted to distance itself from such remarks.

4. At a meeting in Dallas, Catholic bishops hear from abuse victims and adopt a "one strike and you're out" policy to remove abusive priests from ministry. The church's religious orders are opposed to the policy because they weren't asked for input.

5. The clergy sexual abuse scandal gives rise to new groups who want the laity to take on a greater role in the decision-making within the Catholic Church. The group Voice of the Faithful draws 5,000 to a conference in Boston. Victims advocacy groups also gain attention and membership.

6. The U.S. Supreme Court upholds the constitutionality of school vouchers used by children attending religious schools.

7. A Circuit Court of Appeals judge in California rules that the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance are unconstitutional.

8. Religious bodies like the National Council of Churches, United Church of Christ and Catholic bishops voice concerns about a United States invasion of Iraq.

9. Palestinian gunmen take refuge in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, which turns into a 39-day siege by the Israeli military. Violence and suicide bombings continue.

10. Scholars announced the discovery of a 2,000-year-old burial box that bears the words "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus." Some scholars say the inscription is a hoax while others hail it as a great archeological finding.