The Hamas surprise attack on Israeli citizens was selected as the year's most important international story by religion-beat journalists, in part because it led to "spikes in Islamophobia and antisemitism" when Israel launched its massive counterattack on Gaza.
Members of the Religion News Association echoed that decision when voting to select the top 2023 religion story in America.
"Incidents of hate against Jews and Muslims skyrocket after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas against Israel, and Israel's military assault in Gaza," noted the RNA, in its poll. "In Illinois, a Palestinian-American boy is killed, and his mother wounded in an alleged hate attack. The conflict prompts numerous protests, and college campuses see fierce debate about the war and the boundaries of free speech."
The generational nature of the U.S. debates was underlined in a Harvard-Harris poll in which 60% of respondents aged 18-24 agreed that the "Hamas killing of 1200 Israeli civilians and the kidnapping of another 250 civilians can be justified by the grievances of Palestinians." In that poll, 67% of participants in that same age group affirmed that "Jews as a class are oppressors and should be treated as oppressors," as opposed to 9% of respondents older than 65.
The Anti-Defamation League reported 2,031 antisemitic incidents in the United States between October 7 and December 7. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, noted CNN, reported 2,171 U.S. claims of Islamophobic "bias or requests for help" between October 7 and December 2.
For many years, the RNA published one annual list of the world's most important religion-news events and trends. For the second year in a row, the organization produced separate American and global lists. The next few American selections were:
* Legislative and legal battles continued after he 2022 Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, with numerous states banning or restricting abortion and others solidifying access to abortions. U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville blocked hundreds of military job nominations and promotions, while protesting a White House policy that allowed U.S. soldiers to travel to obtain abortions in states where these procedures are more easily available.
* At least 25% of United Methodist congregations left America's second-largest Protestant denomination, following decades of conflict about biblical authority and ancient doctrines on marriage and sexuality, including the ordination of noncelibate LGBTQ+ clergy.
* Debates over LGBTQ+ issues caused increased levels of local and national turmoil, especially in clashes over parental rights, school assignments, drag-queen events, pronoun policies and the rights of transgender athletes.
* Former president Donald Trump continued to draw strong support from white Christians in a variety of traditions. President Joe Biden retained strong Jewish support but faced backlash from Muslims and many religious progressives over his opposition to Hamas.
After two items linked to Israel and Hamas, the next few global items were:
* The Anglican Communion began to crack as traditional leaders -- representing about 85% of the global Anglican worshippers -- declared no confidence in Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and the church's power structures in England. This followed a Church of England vote to allow blessing rites for same-sex unions.
* The Vatican approved, under some circumstances, the baptism of transgender Catholics and their right to serve as godparents. Several German bishops approved the blessing of same-sex relationships. After the RNA poll was released, a Vatican document granted permission for clergy to begin blessing same-sex relationships, but not in rites resembling marriages.
* The Vatican formally repudiated "Doctrine of Discovery" theories that led to 15th-century "papal bulls" that allowed the colonial-era seizure of Native lands.
* Pope Francis hosted a "Synod on Synodality" gathering of Catholic bishops and laypeople, which approved a non-binding document citing an "urgent" need for fuller participation of women in church governance. Catholic progressives promised to push for more changes in future meetings, such as married priests, the ordination of women as deacons and doctrinal changes on a range of LGBTQ+ issues.
Religion News Association members selected Pope Francis as Religion Newsmaker of the Year, despite health problems that limited some of his work and controversies linked to papal remarks about the fighting in Israel-Gaza and Vatican actions affecting sexual-abuse claims against the Jesuit priest and artist Marko Ivan Rupnik.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu placed second in that vote. The RNA ballot noted his "right-wing government's effort to weaken Israel's judiciary" and criticisms of national security failures before the Hamas surprise attack.