Conversations between Jews and Muslims in Britain have been “very difficult” over the past two years since the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. But community leaders taking part in a Religion Media Centre briefing said that, two years on, there is a growing desire to rebuild good relations — despite continuing anxiety and mistrust.

The renewed dialogue comes after the ceasefire in Gaza and amid rising Islamophobia, antisemitism, and attacks on synagogues and mosques. New structures have been created to support local discussions, while at grassroots level “brave souls and heroes” continue to engage, encouraging small, informal meetings that help people to “disagree well.” Speakers described the task as urgent — “a fight for the soul of the nation” — and appealed to the government to “lean into this” by offering consistent support for interfaith initiatives.

The discussion was hosted by Ruth Peacock, with guests:

• Phil Rosenberg, President of the Board of Deputies
• Jonathan Boyd, executive director of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research
• Rabbi Warren Elf, from Manchester
• Imam Qari Asim, Head Imam at Makkah Mosque Leeds and Chair of Mosques & Imams National Advisory Board
• Hasan Moosa Reza, chief of staff, office of the Chief Imam (Scotland), who was instrumental in the signing of the Drumlanrig Accord
• Dr Adeela Shafi, founder of the Bristol Muslim Strategic Leadership Group

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The decision to place Religious Education in the national curriculum in England has delighted RE teachers and campaigners who have been seeking improvements for years. The recommendation was made by the government’s curriculum and assessment review, after the panel heard evidence that RE was not being taught very well, and in some cases, not taught at all.

In this Religion Media Centre briefing, we hear from a member of the review panel and campaigners who have been fighting for years to raise the status of RE, introduce national standards and enable schools to teach the subject well.

Ruth Peacock hosted this discussion with guests:

• Dr Vanessa Ogden, panel review member and CEO of the Mulberry Schools Trust
• Dr Richard Kueh, former Inspector and Subject Lead for Religious Education, now a leader with the Cam Academy Trust and member of the RE Council
• Deborah Weston, from the RE Policy Unit
• Dr Kathryn Wright, CEO of Culham St Gabriel’s Trust
• Dr Sarah Lane Cawte, chair of the RE Council
• Ed Pawson, former deputy chair of the RE Council
• Prof Susannah Cornwall, Exeter University, Professor of Constructive Theologies

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A survey for the National Churches Trust has gauged the scale of repair, restoration and maintenance required by Britain's church buildings, and the challenges of local communities to keep them usable and standing. One in 20 may not be used as a place of worship in five years time, and one in ten need to make urgent repairs to roofs and guttering in the next year.

The National Churches Trust says there's an urgent need to act together to keep churches open with sustainable funding so they remain valued community assets. It recognises the valiant contributions of volunteers who spend hours fundraising, but finds 70 per cent of churches need more people to help, and says they should not be left to shoulder the burden alone. It is calling for more collaboration between heritage organisations, local authorities, denominations and the national government to face the challenge, saying the upkeep of churches is a shared responsibility.

Ruth Peacock hosted this discussion with guests:

• Karl Newton, deputy CEO of the National Churches Trust
• Sir Philip Rutnam, chair of the National Churches Trust.
• Lachlan Rurlander, of Whitestone Insight which conducted the research
• Professor Kate Giles, Centre for the Study of Christianity and Culture, University of York
• Diana Evans, Head of Places of Worship at Historic England
• Rev Huw Powell-Daves from Bethesda Chapel in Mold
• Mary Keeley and Sheila Stephens from St Grada and Holy Cross church on the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall

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The state visit of the King and Queen Camilla to the Vatican to meet Pope Leo on Thursday 23 October will be a historic occasion. The monarch and the leader of the Roman Catholic Church will pray together in the Sistine Chapel for the first time since the Reformation.

The King, who is Supreme Governor of the Church of England, will participate in an ecumenical service jointly led by Pope Leo and the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell. Later, King Charles and Queen Camilla will visit the Papal Basilica of St Paul’s Outside the Walls, where the King will be given the title of Royal Confrater of St Paul, and a special chair has been made for him which will be used by him and his successors when they visit.

In this briefing, Leo Devine hosts a discussion on the significance of the visit and what it says about the relationship between Anglicans and Roman Catholics, and the characters of the King and the Pope. Speakers are:

• Author and journalist, Catherine Pepinster
• Former Vatican correspondent, Christopher White, author of "Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy"
• Francis Campbell, former ambassador to the Holy See
• Dr James Hawkey, Canon Theologian of Westminster Abbey, writer on Anglican/RC dialogue

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A report on the role of faith groups in planning and designing new towns and housing developments states that their contribution is crucial to building community and social cohesion. Housing with Values: faith and belief perspectives on housing and community planning was discussed in this Religion Media Centre briefing, which heard that "housing is about more than bricks and mortar - it is about the kind of society we want to build”.

The report is a response to the government's proposal to build 1.5 million homes in 12 new towns over the next five years. It suggests that a New Towns Faith Taskforce is set up to enable conversations between faith representatives, developers and local councils, offering insight into how faith groups can contribute to the social infrastructure necessary for towns to thrive.

Ruth Peacock hosted with guests: Phil Champain and Prof Christopher Baker, co-founders of the Faith and Belief Collective, which produced the report, and another co-author, Dr Iona Hines.

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Dame Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London, has been appointed Archbishop of Canterbury — the first woman to lead the Church of England in its 500-year history. At a Religion Media Centre briefing, journalists and church leaders reflected on her qualities and achievements, outlining their hopes and expectations for her leadership.

Speakers described her style as “courageous” and “pastoral,” traits seen as vital for her role, as she inherits deep divisions over same-sex blessings, the difficult task of embedding and strengthening safeguarding processes, and resistance from those who doubt a woman can hold authority in the role.

In her first address, she pledged solidarity with the Jewish community after the Manchester attack, spoke of the church’s role in healing fractured communities, and acknowledged the church’s responsibility to wrestle with complex moral questions. Commentators stressed that, after the turmoil of Justin Welby’s departure, the new Archbishop must not only lead the church but also speak with moral clarity to the whole nation.

Rosie Dawson chaired the discussion with many speakers taking part: Tim Wyatt, Catherine Pepinster, Prof Helen King, Rev Dr Charlie Bell, Ven Miranda Threlfall-Holmes, Rev Martine Oborne, Rev Cathrine Ngangira, Rev Angela Sheard, Susie Leafe, Edward Nickell, Rev Dr Ian Paul, Rev Canon John Dunnett, Justin Humphreys, Peniel Rajkumer, Bishop Sophie Jelley and Winnie Varghese.

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Later this month, the Crown Nominations Commission is expected to decide the name of the next Archbishop of Canterbury, who will be the spiritual leader of the Church of England and head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The appointment comes at a time of unprecedented turbulence in the church, the country and the world.

In this Religion Media Centre briefing, people from a range of perspectives within the Church of England joined journalists in considering the qualities they are looking for in their next leader.

The new archbishop will inherit a church wrestling with disputes over sexuality, safeguarding failures, financial shortfalls, declining congregations and a fractious global fellowship of churches. There was broad agreement that the appointment must be a unifying figure, someone whom each warring faction in the church can live with, and also someone not obsessed with internal church matters, but able to address social, economic and political challenges in wider society, which have led to polarisation.

For the record, the frontrunners were named as the Bishops of Bath and Wells, Chelmsford and London. But speculation over this appointment is traditionally a fool's errand, with outsiders often pulling through, and among those names so far are Gloucester, Sheffield, Liverpool, Dover, Lancaster, Salisbury, Leicester, and St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.

Rosie Dawson hosted this discussion with guests:

• Journalists - Tim Wyatt & Francis Martin
• Bishop Humphrey Southern, Principal Cuddesdon
• Rev Prof Andrew Atherstone, Professor of Modern Anglicanism, Tutorial Fellow in Church History and Latimer Research Fellow, Wycliffe Hall, Oxford
• Ven Dr Rachel Mann, Archdeaon of Bolton and Salford
• Rev Angela Sheard, Anglican Tutor as part of the Ministerial Formation team at Queen's College, Birmingham
• Susie Leafe, Director Anglican Futures
• Edward Nickell, deanery synod member and secretary of the Sea of Faith Network

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The number of British universities offering single-honours Theology and Religious Studies degrees in UK universities has fallen to just 21, driven by financial pressures and falling student demand. Departments have been closed, merged, and subject to redundancies.

In this Religion Media Centre briefing, our panel explored why students studying A-level Religious Studies often choose not to continue the subject at university, and what institutions can do to make courses more attractive. Decisions to close departments, we heard, were driven by business plans rather than increased secularisation at board level. Meanwhile, religious groups are establishing their own colleges offering degree-level courses, shifting provision away from mainstream universities.

Theos Think Tank has warned of the consequences, publishing an open letter stressing the importance of religious education in higher education. It argues that young people need the tools to navigate a diverse society and grapple with ethical challenges.

Our panel of academics and teachers discussed the scale of the problem, as well as how changes to course content and better communication of its value might help turn things around. Speakers include:

• Dr Tim Hutchings, TRS-UK, Nottingham University 
• Prof Matthew Guest, Durham University
• Dr Suzanne Owen, BASR, Leeds University 
• Dr Roberto Catello, Liverpool Hope University
• Prof Chris Higgins, former vice chancellor, Durham University
• Prof Gordon Lynch, Edinburgh University
• Sarah Lane Cawte, chair RE Council
• Deborah Weston, NATRE

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Muslims in the UK feel hugely under-represented in the media, and research suggests almost 60 per cent of all articles are negative, according to speakers at the Religion Media Festival’s panel discussion on “Muslims in Britain”. Burhan Wazir, editor-in-chief of Hyphen Online, told the audience that the vast majority of stories tend to look at Muslims from a security or Islamophobia point of view, but there was a much more nuanced conversation to be had about access to healthcare, education and how Muslims live their lives.

The panel was chaired by BBC investigative journalist Poonam Taneja, and other panellists were Rizwana Hamid, director of the Centre for Media Monitoring; Akeela Ahmed, co-chair of the British Muslim Network; and Dr Azim Ahmed, deputy director at the Centre for the Study of Islam in the UK, at Cardiff University.

The Religion Media Festival, held at Methodist Central Hall, London, on Monday 9 June 2025, was organised by the Religion Media Centre. We are a charity which aims to help journalists report religion by providing daily news bulletins, background briefings, factsheets and opportunities to network.

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A panel discussion on British Media and British Jews considered how the war in Gaza, triggered by the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October, had impacted coverage of the community in Britain. There have been reports on rising antisemitism and divisions within the Jewish community itself, with 36 members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews objecting to its stance on Gaza and making this public. A survey by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research found high community support for Israel but far less so for Binyamin Netanyahu’s government.

The discussion was chaired by Richard Allen Greene, CNN’s Jerusalem Bureau chief at the time of the 7 October attack, and now in London training to be a rabbi. Panellists were: Jonathan Boyd, Executive Director, Institute for Jewish Policy Research; Rabbi Charley Baginsky, co-lead of Progressive Judaism; Phil Rosenberg, President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews; and Jenni Frazer, journalist and commentator.

The Religion Media Festival, held at Methodist Central Hall, London, on Monday 9 June 2025, was organised by the Religion Media Centre. We are a charity which aims to help journalists report religion by providing daily news bulletins, background briefings, factsheets and opportunities to network.

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