Sunday

On this weekend’s Sunday programme, our Presenter Edward Stourton explores President Putin’s ambitions towards Ukraine and whether religion plays a significant role, with Marat Shterin, Professor of Religion at King’s College London and Co-Editor of the Routledge Journal ‘Religion, State and Society’.

Islanders from the British Overseas Territory of St Helena in the Southern Atlantic Ocean are making plans to give more than 300 liberated slaves a respectful reinterment, after their bodies were exhumed for construction work on the Island. The Rt. Revd Dale Bowers, Bishop of St. Helena and Helena Bennett, Chair of the Liberated African Advisory Committee told Edward about the details.

Six months after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan for a second time, Edward asks what life is like now for the people of Afghanistan, with BBC Presenter and International Correspondent, Yalda Hakim and Dr Obaidullah Baheer, Lecturer at the American University of Afghanistan

And on the eve of St. Valentine’s day, we look at the role of Matchmakers in religious tradition and explore whether they really can help people find true love, with Dassy Miller who runs a service for Orthodox Jews and Naseem Mohammed who runs a service for Muslims.

Producers: Jill Collins and Louise Clarke-Rowbotham

A new statue has been created honouring a medieval Jewish businesswoman thought to have been a victim of 13th century hate crime. Licoricia of Winchester was a money lender whose wealth contributed to the building of Westminster Abbey and helped bankroll three English kings. She was murdered at a time of widespread anti-Semitism and campaigners hope a new statue in her hometown will serve as a powerful reminder of the history of prejudices that still exist today.

Hundreds of churches in the UK are preparing to welcome Christians who are moving to this country from Hong Kong. The Home Office expects as many as 300,000 to make the journey in the next year. They're making the difficult decision to leave Hong Kong after the introduction of a controversial new National Security Law, which critics say is eroding freedoms. Danny Vincent reports from Hong Kong.

Michael Gove has called for "Christian forgiveness" to be shown to anyone who shows contrition for attending Downing Street parties during lockdown. Forgiveness is central to the Christian faith, but what does it mean to forgive someone and how is our individual forgiveness affected by the nature, or indeed sincerity, of the apology? Does forgiveness require repentance? Edward Stourton explores the theology and mechanics of forgiveness with Rev George Pitcher, visiting fellow at LSE and Anglican vicar and Rabbi Debbie Young-Somers from Edgeware and Hendon Reform Synagogue

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As tensions rise in Ukraine we explore the religious context and find out how far the split in the Orthodox church in Ukraine reflects the current political crisis.

We hear about a plan to change how the Archbishop of Canterbury is selected and we take you to visit an exhibition of icon artists. How does an artist create a piece of work that's both an image and a prayer?

The social media and tech companies have plans for us all to work and socialise in a virtual reality world and it's been given a name, the metaverse. So what is the metaverse and what practical applications does it have for religion?

On the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday we bring together two bishops who have played an important role in peacemaking in the city. We reflect on how the event was pivotal for both communities and on the efforts to rebuilt trust.

Producer: Louise Clarke-Rowbotham

Image copyright Dr Irina Bradley

What is the purpose of religious images and why have some of them caused controversy over the centuries? These are two of the questions addressed by the classics scholar Professor Mary Beard in a two part BBC2 series called ‘Mary Beard on Forbidden Art’. Mary joins Dr Fozia Bora, Associate Professor of Islamic History at the University of Leeds, to discuss some of the themes and ideas in her new documentary.

The former Prime Minister Gordon Brown has put his weight behind a campaign to get aid flowing to Afghanistan. Along with Save the Children and a group of faith leaders, he is launching an online petition to persuade the British government to convene an aid conference so that the country’s needs are met. He joins Edward Stourton to discuss the desperate situation in Afghanistan.

In 1942, a Jewish woman in Vienna called Kamilla wrote a long letter to her children who had escaped Nazi-occupied Europe and were living in Britain. It was the last letter they got from her. Not long after she wrote it, she was deported and eventually murdered at Auschwitz. 80 years later the letter has become the inspiration for an musical way of marking Holocaust Memorial Day, which falls on Thursday this coming week. The album 'Letter to Kamilla' is the work of the composer Benjamin Till in collaboration with Michael Etherton, the Musical Director of a Jewish male vocal ensemble called Mosaic Voices and also Kamilla’s great grandson. Michael and Benjamin are in studio to talk about Kamilla and the music her letter has inspired.

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As the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill continues its passage through Parliament, our Presenter Edward Stourton explores why the proposals on Protest are such a contentious issue, with Paul Parker, Recording Clerk for Quakers in Britain.

Chaplains are appointed to work in all kinds of places outside the normal life of the Church, from hospitals to care homes, to schools, we hear from some of them on how they've dealt with the pressures of the past two years.

One year on from the Inauguration of the 46th President of the United States, Edward discusses how Joe Biden’s Catholic faith has shaped his Presidency so far, with Professor Anthea Butler, Chair of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and Christopher White, Vatican Correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter.

As we await the Government investigation into the Number 10 gatherings, led by civil servant Sue Gray, Edward asks where should we draw our moral compass from ? Joining Edward in the discussion are Rabbi Robyn Ashworth-Steen, Principal Rabbi of the Manchester Reform Synagogue, Imam Rakin Niass, a Secondary School Head of RE, Philosophy and Ethics and The Rt Revd Dr David Walker, Bishop of Manchester.

Producers: Jill Collins, Louise Clarke-Rowbotham

What kinds of faith-inspired statues, sculptures and murals might we see in the future on Britain’s streets and public spaces? Faith groups are among those that have been encouraged to apply for part of a £1 million ‘untold stories’ grant from the Mayor of London which closes on Wednesday and aims to better represent the capital’s communities. The funding follows heated debate in the last few years over which statues should remain standing in the UK. Our reporter Vishva Samani’s been finding out more.

The Church of England is live streaming its 100th online service since the pandemic began on the 9th January. Sunday spoke to worshippers who are part of the online community - and Emily Buchanan talks with Amaris Cole head of digital for the Church of England and asks will we be seeing more online services?

We saw it in the images from the attack on the US Capitol a year ago - the co-option of pagan symbols by far right extremists in support of their ideologies. The phenomenon isn't confined to the States - in this country police officers who are themselves pagan are involved in training counterterrorism agencies to help them recognise and deal with the problem. So what is the appeal of pagan symbols and ideas to far-right and how can the co-option be resisted? Sergeant Andy Pardy from the Police Pagan Association explains.

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Following the death of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Bishop David Walker remembers the life and legacy of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate who helped end apartheid in South Africa.

Actor and activist Michael Sheen tells William about the transformative encounters that led him to give away a large chunk of his earnings and turn himself into a social enterprise - a not-for-profit actor.

Champion baker David Atherton shares his recipe for Florentines and talks candidly about growing up gay in a conservative evangelical Church. He tells William how winning the Great British Bake Off connected him to others struggling to reconcile their sexuality with their strict Christian upbringing.

As the Christmas film classic It's A Wonderful Life turns 75, we hear about its religious meaning and how it's taken on the power of a modern-day myth.

And we meet the faith groups plugging gaps in local services by providing an army of volunteers - from stewards at vaccination centres to cooks at homeless shelters and shelf-stackers at food banks. Volunteers tell us what motivates them to help their local community. And, with government finances under more pressure than ever, we find out how the relationship between faith groups and the state is changing.

Producers: Louise Clarke-Rowbotham and Carmel Lonergan

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This week Sunday hears from churches how they’re adjusting to the Government’s Plan B in light of rising cases of Omicron. Carol concerts are cancelled, Christmas services face restrictions, and clergy are becoming frazzled and weary.

Buddhists at a monastery in Scotland say their silent retreats are being disturbed by gunfire. The Samye Ling Tibetan Centre at Eskdalemuir in Scotland is the largest Tibetan Buddhist temple in western Europe and they are objecting to a planning application asking for six military grade training grounds to be built on surrounding land.

Amina Ahmed talks to us about her husband, Mubarak Bala, President of the Humanist Association in Nigeria and a human rights activist. He was arrested last year in Northern Nigeria and accused of blasphemy but, after 19 months in detention, he is still awaiting trial.

A centuries old way of life for Gypsies and Travellers is under threat of being criminalised under proposals in the Government's Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill currently making its way through Parliament.

Dorothy Day the campaigning journalist, socialistl activist and advocate for the poor moved one step closer to Sainthood this month as the diocese of New York sent evidence of her good works off to the Vatican. We explore who she was and why, in life, she hated being described as a saint.

And do you believe in Angels? They’ve become a symbol of hope during the past year and perhaps we all need one in our corner right now. This week Sunday asks what angels look like. Do they resemble us? Or is the Biblical representation of angels something entirely different?

Steven Spielberg’s remake of the musical West Side Story has hit the big screen and with it there is renewed interest in its origins as a story of two lovers divided by religion. The man behind the screenplay for the new version, award winning writer Tony Kushner tells Edward about the film's Jewish roots.

In a candid interview with Edward, the former Bishop of Liverpool, James Jones talks about his latest book ‘Justice for Christ’s Sake’ in which he which draws heavily on the lessons he learnt while chairing the Hillsborough Independent Panel.

This week the Government reaffirmed its commitment to banning so-called Conversion Therapy. BBC Religious Affairs Journalist Harry Farley talks us through the government's proposals and two Christians with very different views respond to the plans. Reverend Graham Nicholls is Director of Affinity - a Fellowship of Churches, Evangelical Agencies and Christians. He fears a new law would criminalise the teaching of traditional Christian beliefs on marriage. Elinor Kershaw of the Quaker Gender and Sexual Diversity Community thinks the plans may not go far enough.

We hear how a delay in plans to reform marriage law in England and Wales has left thousands in unregistered religious marriages without legal protection. Edward speaks to Roxana Rais of the Muslim Women’s Advisory Council, and Russell Sandberg, Professor of Law at Cardiff University and Author of ‘Religion and Marriage Law’.

And as the last in a trio of reports looking at Anti-Semitism on Social Media is published, Dr Julian Hargreaves, Director of Research at the Woolf Institute, explains its findings.

And Sunday listeners tell is what makes for truly great Christmas music.

Producers: Jill Collins and Louise Clarke Rowbotham

Pope Francis is in Cyprus this week where he said that "walls of fear" and nationalism were slowing down Europe's progress. As he moves onto Greece, another country on the frontline of the migrant crisis, we'll hear how this visit is being greeted on the ground. In the aftermath of the crisis of 2015, when thousands of asylum seekers arrived in Greece, the government there toughened its stance on migrants. How do Catholics in Greece, itself not long in recovery after a deep economic recession, view the Pope and his plea to open borders and offer safe haven to migrants?

We're celebrating St Columba, or St Colmcille as he's known in Ireland, who was born in County Donegal 1500 years ago this week. He is revered for his miracles and missionary zeal but as a Nobleman with considerable power, he also had a reputation as a warrior and a troublemaker. We'll separate the fact from the folklore and hear how this Saint who is loved on both sides of the Irish border as well as in Scotland and the North of England now represents a shared heritage and future in a post-Brexit world.

And as the Church of England releases its first ever single in a bid to be the Christmas number one, we'll be asking what it takes for a religious themed song to make it to the top of the charts.

Photo Credit: Andreas Solaro/AFP