Cardinal Francis George's sworn deposition on Chicago sex abuse cases has headed Time Magazine's list of the Top Ten religious stories for 2008.The Chicago Tribune reports that as Muslims mark the end of the hajj, Buddhists celebrate their founder's enlightenment and Catholics celebrate Mary's Immaculate Conception, religion reporters on Monday began observing their annual rite of stepping back to contemplate more recent pivotal moments in the religious world.
On Monday, Time magazine released its Top 10 list of religion stories and the Religion Newswriters Association asked its members to rank a roster of 25 contenders.
I, too, compiled a list - but kept it a little more local.
The story concerning Cardinal George was placed at the top of the list.
Historically, the archdiocese has insisted on keeping confidential the settlements with more than 250 survivors of clergy sex abuse.
But in May, Cardinal Francis George opened the books on a litany of failures by church officials as he announced a $12.7 million lawsuit settlement by the Chicago Catholic Archdiocese.
By releasing the details and unveiling his own sworn deposition, the archbishop revealed a flawed and secretive system where priests and bishops employed by the archdiocese to this day protected their own.
Second was Senator Barack O'Bana's decision to leave Trinity United Church of Christ
In fourth place was the story that women's ordination "had come" to the Chicago Archdiocese
Barbara Zeman of Edgewater joined 34 other women who have been ordained Catholic priests by an activist group hoping to pressure the church into dropping the ban on women's ordination.
The Vatican has warned that participants in such ordinations are automatically excommunicated, meaning they can't receive let alone offer the sacraments.
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(Source: CTHUS)