Sunday

Can Elton John really help us think differently about Lent? Canon Rachel Mann believes he can and she tells William how the rock star known for his flamboyance inspired her guide to the Christian season of self-examination and fasting which began this week.

This week the Catholic Church in England announced new action on climate change, to be led by the diocese of Salford. The Church of England too has pledged zero carbon emissions by 2030. And the Islamic Relief charity is helping Muslims aim for an "eco-Ramadan" this year. But are young worshippers impressed with these measures? Recent research suggested young Christians at least are not. What will it take for religion to achieve anything meaningful in the battle against global warming?

And we talk to the director of The Milkmaid, Nigeria's first ever entry for the Oscars. The film tells the story of a pair of young women abducted by Islamist fighters in the North of Nigeria. We hear how the production was halted when local police suspected them of being terrorists. And how the film is now being viewed around the world but not in Nigeria as the censors want it cut to avoid offending religious sensibilities.

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What every day sounds make you happy; the sound of a coffee pot percolating, a cat purring or Church bells ringing? Musician Tommy Perman asked that question and has produced an album using everyday sounds. William Crawley talks to Tommy about why and how he made the album happen?

On 13 February 2017, Malaysian Christian worker Raymond Koh was abducted. His family has been lobbying for his release or news of his fate ever since. They say they've received minimal cooperation from the Police or government. The family believe he was abducted for his faith and the Christian work he and his wife did among the destitute and people with HIV. He is not the only “disappeared” Christian in Malaysia in recent years. This will be the first time his wife Susanna has spoken to Western media about her and the family’s ordeal.

A resource - thought to be the first of its kind - to help black majority churches response effectively to the issue of domestic abuse has been developed after it became apparent that women felt the churches weren't doing enough about the issue and in some cases were even turning a blind eye. It comes at a time when domestic abuse offences have increased across the board during the pandemic. It's the work of the Black Church Domestic Abuse Forum (BCDAF) which was formed five years ago to address the issue. We hear from Kim Bacchus and Dr Ava Kanyeredzi both involved in the work.

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Photo Credit: Roel Knappstein

The Queen hailed Captain Tom Moore, the 100-year-old who raised millions for NHS charities by walking laps of his garden, as an "inspiration" this week after he died of coronavirus. We talk to 73 year old Rajinder Singh who was inspired by Captain Tom to become the "Skipping Sikh" - he gained worldwide acclaim for the exercise videos he made to cheer up his community in isolation and ended up raising money for the NHS as well.

Maybe more than at any other point in history, we are talking now about race, ethnicity and equality. But how do we define who belongs to an ethnic minority and who is a target of racism? In his new book, Jews Don't Count, the comedian and writer David Baddiel argues that anti-Semitism is being left out of the public conversation about racism.

And is Gospel Music in crisis? A meeting held this week discussed just that. After the high of The Kingdom Choir singing at the Royal Wedding in 2018, how is the music developing to attract younger singers whose musical interests lie outside gospel?

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After the devastating news this week that 100,000 people have died in the UK after contracting Covid-19, the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell tells Ed Stourton why he and the Archbishop of Canterbury are inviting the nation to join them in prayer every day at 6pm during the month of February.

Nazir Afzal was Chief Crown Prosecutor for North West England from 2011 to 2015. He built his career on bringing people to justice. This week he called for a public inquiry into the Government's handling of the Covid pandemic. He tells Ed Stourton why.

Islamic Relief Worldwide has been cleared of institutional anti-Semitism in an independent report after two trustees and a member of staff were found to have posted offensive social media comments. The report's author Dominic Grieve explains its findings and recommendations and Martin Cottingham, Islamic Relief Worldwide's Director of External Affairs, responds.

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Office of the Archbishop of York

When Kamala Harris was sworn in as the US vice-president this week, Hindus gathered in her family's ancestral home town in India to pray for her success. Much is said about her status as the first woman and first African American to hold her post, but less about her South Asian heritage. In this week's programme William Crawley asks how important her Hindu background is to her and to Americans.

One of the final acts of the Trump administration this week was to declare that China's treatment of the Muslim minority Uighar people amounts to genocide. This happens to be one of the few things President Biden's government agrees with him about. Here, MPs debated but failed to implement a bill that would make it illegal to trade with a country guilty of genocide this week. Who are the Uighar people and what exactly is happening to them? We find out from an Uighar activist and refugee in the UK, Rahima Mahommad.

This Wednesday, on Holocaust Memorial Day, we are asked to place a candle in the window to remember those murdered for who they are. But we should also remember those who escaped at a cost. The philosopher and writer Simon May was brought up a Catholic, by parents who came to the UK as Hitler rose to power.

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Lichfield Cathedral has committed to helping a medical practice vaccinate the local community for a year, meaning that for several days a week it will sacrifice its worship space for public health. Few cathedrals are accessible to the elderly and vulnerable who need to be vaccinated immediately – but fortunately Lichfield, which was built as a medieval centre of healing for pilgrims, was built with step-free access way back in the 12th century. Sophia Smith-Galer reports.

Monday the 18th January is Martin Luther King day, a public holiday in the USA. The Episcopal Bishop Michael Curry is the first African American to serve as presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church known for his sermon on the power of love for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. He talks to William about Martin Luther King’s life and all that he signified could not be more timely.

An award winning documentary exploring Sikh music uncovers how the harmonium became a mainstream instrument in temples and Gurdwaras around the world. Jasvir Kaur Rababan CEO of the Raj Conservatoire, London explains why she believes its introduction changed the tone of devotional music.

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There were crosses, “Jesus Saves” signs and “Jesus 2020” flags that mimicked the design of the Trump flags. Christian symbols were on display as the world watched rioters storm into the US Capitol on Wednesday. As many of the President's allies withdraw their support for him in the dying days of his presidency Edward investigates the religious rhetoric and symbolism that Trump and his supporters have embraced.

The Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde is the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. She criticises what she says was the 'grievous misappropriation of the Christian faith.' And Robert P Jones, author of 'White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity' argues that the mob was motivated not just by loyalty to Trump, 'but by an unholy amalgamation of white supremacy and Christianity that has plagued the United States since its inception and is still with us today.'

For decades, the Catholic Church rarely acknowledged the fact that supposedly ‘celibate’ priests were fathering children. The scale and impact of these secretive births is only now coming to light. In what is thought to be the first ever book about the phenomenon, called ‘Our Fathers’, Vincent Doyle, himself a child of a Catholic priest, argues that the Church needs to wake up to the reality that it cannot stop priests fathering children.

And as we adjust to weeks of winter lockdown, comedian Paul Kerensa presents a theological argument as to why we can keep the Christmas lights on until February.

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For our first programme of 2021 we brought together three journalists to talk about the big religious news stories of the past year and what they expect to be reporting on in the next. Emily Buchanan is joined by Justin Cohen, News Editor at The Jewish News, Aina Khan a freelance journalist who writes for Al Jazeera among others and Ruth Gledhill, Multi-media Editor of the Catholic magazine The Tablet.

As hospitals across the country struggle under the strain of the current spike in coronavirus cases we hear from Yunus Dudhwala, Head of chaplaincy at Barts Health NHS Trust, about the work they are doing to support both patients and staff.

And what role does religion play when it comes to vaccine scepticism? Emily Buchanan talks to Dr Eric Stoddart, lecturer in practical theology at the Centre for the Study of Religion and Politics, University of St Andrews and Dr Hina Shahid, Chair of the Muslim Doctors Association.

Is it possible to find hope in a pandemic? One thing many agree on is that a pandemic can reveal much about who we really are, individually and as a society. Pandemics can expose the cracks in our health care and the inequalities that separate us – nationally and globally. If that’s true, pandemics also give us a chance to learn how to care for one another better. That’s a message we often hear from those working in development charities around the world as they’ve continued to combat poverty and hunger, wave after wave of this pandemic. William Crawley speaks with Esther Lehmann-Sow, World Vision’s partnership leader for faith and development and Shahin Ashraf, Islamic Relief's head of global advocacy.

Devotional music and religious chanting have long been a way for people to express an emotional response to the world around them –that’s even more the case, as you might imagine, during a year of pandemic. For many British Hindus and Sikhs, the demands of this year has required them to find creative ways to come together while staying apart. Vishva Samani has been speaking to some of them.

Coldwater swimming is not for everyone. But there is growing evidence that taking a dip in a lake or the sea can help to alleviate stress and anxiety. There’s certainly been a lot of that about this year, which may explain why 2020 has seen a rise in people taking to the waters to exercise. The RNLI has even published new guidance to encourage people to stay safe while they seek out the stress-relief of a cold-water plunge. The poet and spoken word artist Harry Baker is one of those people. We asked him to capture his experience on paper for us.

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Palestinian Christians in Bethlehem have begun their Christmas celebrations under strict restrictions following a surge in corona virus cases in the occupied West Bank. As Yolande Knell reports, church leaders say Bethlehem will continue with its festivities to try to send a hopeful message to the world.

In 2019 Cardinal George Pell was sentenced to six years in prison for 'historical sexual assault offences'. Earlier this year the Australian High Court voted 7-0 to overturn the original convictions. In a frank interview, the man who was once the third most powerful person in the Catholic Church reflects on his time inside jail, what he feels about his past handling of abuse allegations and the man whose accusations put him behind bars for 404 days.

And the full choir of Leicester Cathedral have all been booked in for rapid Covid tests on Sunday morning. The Dean, the Very Rev David Monteith tells Edward why it will be such a momentous moment if the choir can sing together for the first time since March.

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