Westerville, Ohio ? In a survey of religion reporters in secular media, Mel Gibson’s movie “The Passion of the Christ” and religious issues in the presidential campaign were tied as 2004’s top religion events.

Gibson was named “religion newsmaker of the year.”

The responses from 108 of 260 voting members in the Religion Newswriters Assn. put U.S. disputes over gay marriage in third place. There was a considerable gap between those items and these others in the top 10:

• The small number of U.S. Roman Catholic bishops who said politicians who support abortion rights would be denied Communion or should voluntarily refrain from the sacrament.
• The report from a commission of Anglican leaders with proposals to overcome the split over homosexuality within their 77 million-member global association of churches, including the U.S. Episcopal Church.
• U.S. Supreme Court reversal of a ruling against “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance and approval for Washington state’s ban on scholarships for ministry study.
• Religious debate over America’s role in Iraq.
• Gay disputes in the United Methodist Church and Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
• Litigation and debate over clergy sex abuse in the Catholic Church in the United States.
• As the Mideast conflict continues, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) orders withdrawal of investments from companies that profit from Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.