Sunday

This weekend Pope Francis made an historic visit to Marseille, France; the first papal visit to the port city since Clement VII in 1533. The purpose of the trip is to show solidarity with the migrants as the French government takes a stricter stance amid rising Mediterranean crossings. Edward Stourton speaks to French Christian Journalist, Sophie Lebrun.

Relations between Canada and India have become strained after the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau linked the Indian state with the killing of a Sikh separatist leader on Canadian soil. Hardeep Singh Nijjar - a Canadian citizen - is the third prominent Sikh figure to have died unexpectedly in recent months. India strongly denies the allegations and further suspended visa processing for Canadian nationals travelling to India. BBC Monitoring's Nurussanda Garg has the latest on the story and Professor Gurharpal Singh explains the origins of the pro-Khalistan movement.

One in seven local authorities in England have adopted a definition of Islamophobia that was rejected by the Government in 2019. While it’s since been adopted by Labour, the Lib Dems and the Scottish Conservatives, free speech campaigners say it’s confusing and in danger of conflating race and religion. Linsay Taylor from Muslim Engagement and Development and Stephen Evans from the National Secular Society discuss whether the term adequately differentiates between the discrimination of Muslims and the right to be able to criticise a religion.

Presenter: Edward Stourton

The BBC has been told that bodies are still washing up from the sea in Derna, a week after massive flash floods in Libya. Now there are fears for survivors in the city with not enough medicine and clean water for those who have been made homeless. We hear live from Libya the latest on the situation on the ground and also look at the impact on the Muslim community both in Libya and here.

US Presidential Candidate - Vivek Ramaswamy has been annoying rapper Eminem, defending Donald Trump and now answering questions about his Hindu faith on the campaign trail in Iowa. It was the second time he had been questioned about his faith, as the first-time candidate's popularity has continued to rise in the polls.

And Pilgrims are travelling to Ukraine against official advice, to celebrate the Jewish New Year. We find out why they're taking the risk?

Presenter - Edward Stourton

Former diplomats and politicians from Afghanistan are among around 900 people who've signed an open letter calling on British authorities to investigate what they call a "propaganda" and "whitewashing" campaign by UK Muslim scholars on behalf of the Taliban. William Crawley speaks to one of the signatories of the letter.

Pope Francis is planning to publish a sequel to Laudato Si', his encyclical, or papal teaching letter, on the climate crisis. One of his closest advisers, Cardinal Michael Czerny, explains why.

And the extraordinary story of an Irish Catholic priest who, for many years, secretly worked for the IRA, earning himself a place on the UK's most wanted list.

Presenter: William Crawley

Can you be a sex worker and still follow your faith? Sex work has always challenged religion. Although it’s broadly considered immoral within Christianity, Islam and Judaism, sacred texts carry some mixed messages. We hear from a British woman who grew up as a devout Muslim but now makes adult content for the online service Only Fans. She’s often pictured wearing a hijab. She’s received death threats but believes that expressing her sexuality and making her own choices about her body are empowering. She reflects on the difficulity of reconciling sex work with religious faith.

Attendance at Church of England services has fallen sharply in recent decades. A new survey of over a thousand clergy suggests that many are anxious about the future of the church. Nearly a third of those who responded to the poll, by the Times newspaper, felt that the Church could face extinction if the decline continues. Some believe that part of the problem is that church teaching on issues like gay marriage and the role of women is out of touch with public opinion. We hear from several Anglican priests and invite the church to respond to their concerns.

Why are nuns such an enduringly popular subject for films? This week, The Nun II, a horror movie, is released in UK cinemas. It's just the latest in a rich seam of nun-themed films, which includes Sister Act, Black Narcissus, Nuns on the Run, and The Sound of Music. A film critic and a Catholic nun discuss the portrayal of nuns in cinema and reflect on the enduring appeal of nuns to film makers.

Presenter: Edward Stourton

If priests were required by law to report child sex abuse, what would it mean for the Catholic seal of confession? Priests can never disclose anything they hear during the sacrament of confession. But a proposed new law could legally require people to report cases of child sex abuse. If a priest were to hear such evidence during confession, how should he respond? How could he, and the Church reconcile Church teaching with his need to obey the law, and protect the safety of children? We examine the arguments on both sides of the debate.

What is it like if you and your partner have different faiths? Almost 300,000 households in the UK contain people of different faiths living under the same roof. It may sound like the stuff of sitcoms, but it can cause friction and division within families. How do you navigate the differences between your beliefs and practices? Is there a way of bringing two faiths together that can enrich your domestic life? We speak to a man who was brought up as an Orthodox Jew and is now married to a practising Christian.

Few people say grace before meals these days. But Lincoln’s Inn, the largest of London’s Inns of Court, founded in 1422 and the haunt of senior barristers and judges, still raised a few eyebrows this month when it announced that – for the sake of ‘inclusiveness’ - there would no longer be Christian grace before meals. The writer Quentin Letts takes a dim view of the decision.

Producers: Jonathan Hallewell and Linda Walker

Most of the town of Lahaina, which served as the first capital of the former Kingdom of Hawaii has been destroyed, along with many of the sacred sites of Hawaii's indigenous religion as wildfires ripped through the region. Mokihana Melendez, who teaches aspects of Hawaiian traditional culture, talks to William Crawley about the significance of the religious and cultural heritage that has been lost.

St Andrew's looks like a typical Victorian English parish church but it's only 10 minutes from the Kremlin. Rev Malcolm Rogers talks about what like was like living in Russia during the ongoing Ukraine war.

After 9 years and a series of legal challenges the Charity Commission has finally published its report into the child protection and safeguarding policies of the Jehovah's Witnesses' Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Britain. We hear why a former Elder is "shocked and disappointed".

As we mark the second anniversary of the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, a group of British Imams and scholars give a different picture of what life in Afghanistan is like - but are they right?

Heavy metal and pipe organs are not normally associated together but Mark Deeks, leader of the band 'Arth' and Leeds Diocesan organist David Pipe performed 'Organic Doom'. They told William Crawley how this unusual collaboration came about.

Producers: Amanda Hancox and Peter Everett

Hundreds of thousands of young people have greeted the Pope for World Youth Day in Lisbon. Find out why it matters to UK Catholics who have travelled there.

Hear from the ex-Catholic nun, who cast off her habit to work as a nurse, an author, and finally a stand-up comic. Kelli Dunham has a show at the Edinburgh Fringe that takes in her past lives as well as difficult topics like grief and death.

Morocco play France on Tuesday having made it to the last 16 of the Women's World Cup in their debut appearance. Last Sunday, the Moroccan defender Nouhaila Benzina became the first player to wear a hijab at the World Cup. We'll consider some of the challenges facing Muslim women in football.

Dr Robert Jones, founder of the Public Religion Research Institute in Washington DC explains why Trump's indictment shows no sign of affecting his popularity with white Christian evangelical voters.

Last week the Taliban in Afghanistan issued photographs of a giant bonfire of musical instruments. Is their crack-down on music and singing just strictly-applied Islamic principle? Or is it – as some have called it – ‘cultural genocide’? Hear from a British Imam and Afghan musician Elaha Suroor.

PRESENTER: William Crawley

A look at the ethical and religious issues of the week

J. Robert Oppenheimer had a life-long fascination with Hinduism, and the Hindu sacred text, the Bagavad Gita, which he famously quoted in response to the first Atomic bomb detonations. As 'Oppenheimer' is released in cinemas this week, William Crawley explores the connections between Oppenheimer, the Gita and the Bomb, with Emeritus Professor of History Jim Nijiya and Hindu scholar Acharya Vidyabhaskar.

The Indian state of Manipur, has been plunged into what some believe is a state of civil war between its two largest ethnic groups; the majority Meitei, who are mostly Hindu, and the minority Kuki tribe, who are mostly Christian. We speak to a researcher from Open Doors, the charity supporting persecuted Christians.

And as the television series ‘The Sixth Commandment’ draws rave reviews, we debate the moral pros and cons of ‘true crime’ drama with journalist Amelia Tait and theologian Canon Angela Tilby.

CORRECTION: This programme has been edited since broadcast to remove the incorrect assertion by Professor Satvinder Juss that Terry Milewski apologised for a statement he made in an article. Mr Milewski neither apologised, nor retracted any part of the article. Professor Juss has apologised to Mr Milewski for this incorrect assertion.

Presenter: William Crawley

The Church of England's National Safeguarding Team has said it will not discipline Soul Survivor's Mike Pilavachi. Pilavachi, who founded Soul Survivor church and its Christian youth festivals resigned four months after more than 100 people alleged inappropriate behaviour that including wrestling with young teenagers. Edward Stourton speaks to David Gate, a former Soul Survivor church member, who shares his first hand experience.

The Archbishop of York said last week that addressing God as 'Our Father' might be 'problematic'. We've gathered the opinions of some theologians - Christian, Muslim and Jewish - about the gender of God.

A report published this week says many Catholic and Church of England schools are using American-style Critical Race Theory to teach pupils about racial justice, claiming the lessons are divisive and do more harm than good. Edward Stourton is joined by the author of the report, Alka Sehgal-Cuthbert to debate the issue with The Reverend Nigel Genders, Chief Education Officer for the Church of England.

Presenter: Edward Stourton