Sunday

In the last two weeks over three thousand people in Iceland have joined a spiritual organization that follows Zuism, the religion of the ancient Sumerian people. It's become so popular there are now more Zuists than Muslims in the country. So is a crisis of faith pushing people towards this ancient form or worship or are there other motives?

The number of Muslims attacked each week in London has more than tripled since the terrorist attacks on Paris attacks last month. Trevor Barnes has been talking to the Metropolitan police about the rise in incidents, and to Muslims who have experienced them.

Pope Francis has launched the Year of Mercy by opening the Holy Door at St Peter's Basilica in Rome, the first time it has been opened since the turn of the century.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols tells Sunday what the Year of Mercy might mean - for individual Catholics, the wider Church and the World.

There's a new trend in Advent calendars this year - no chocolate and cardboard, but large art installations in public places. Sunday reports from Brighton and Hove where it has been doing this for years with the ritual opening every night of one of its beach huts.

Producers: Rosie Dawson

Series Producer: Amanda Hancox.

This week William Crawley presents a special programme on the future of Religious Education in the UK.

We join primary school teacher Juliet Lanyon and her class as they learn about Buddhism. She talks about the challenges of being an RE teacher and how her school navigates through the 100s of syllabuses that are available.

Alan Brine, former OFSTED inspector in charge of RE, tells William why he is 'annoyed' by the Department for Education as it fails to respond to calls for the subject to be overhauled.

Bob Walker assesses the role of state funded faith schools - do they work or are they counterproductive for social cohesion.?

Is there a place for 'collective worship' or 'religious observance' in UK schools? A report out this week urges governments to review the duty of collective worship in schools, Dr Alison Mawhinney from Bangor University explains and also tells us about RE in Wales.

So what RE should be taught in schools? William discuss the future of religious education in the light of recommendations to be published tomorrow by a Commission on Religion and Public life which has been leaked to Sunday with Andrew Copson - Commissioner and Humanist, Ed Pawson Nat Assoc of Teachers of RE and The bishop of Manchester David Walker.

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It's become as much a ritual as putting out sherry and mince pies for Santa. Every year thousands of school pupils up and down the country fill shoe boxes with Christmas gifts for needy children overseas. But, as Trevor Barnes discovers, questions have been raised about the agenda and ethos of the organisation, Samaritans Purse, behind this philanthropic endeavour.

The Rev Val Bexton set off on foot for Paris a fortnight ago with a group of Christian campaigners concerned about climate change. Within hours they learned of the terrorist attacks and the city they arrived in this weekend was a far more sober one than they had anticipated. She sends us her audio diary. Meanwhile Christoph Nuttall, director of the R20 Regions of Climate Action, set up by Arnold Schwarzenegger, tells Sunday what he thinks can and cannot be achieved at COP21.

The Pope's trip to Africa draws to a close with a visit to a mosque in the troubled Central African Republic. The BBC's Religious Affairs correspondent Caroline Wyatt is with him.

Churchill historians have tended to paint a picture of the Wartime Leader as an agnostic, even atheist. A new book written by his great grandson and a former White House aide tells a different story.

Producers: Rosie Dawson

Series Producer: Amanda Hancox.

Following the worst terror attack in Europe for over a decade we hear from John Laurenson as he talks to people on the streets of Paris and hears from the faith communities about how they are trying to make sense of the horror on across the city on Friday night.

As flowers are laid outside French Embassies across the world, Trevor Barnes hears from members of the French community in London attending a mass at the Catholic Notre Dame du France Church and Christians and Muslims holding a vigil in Trafalar Square.

In accepting responsiblity for the Paris atrocities, the so-called Islamic State claimed the attacks were a reprisal for French air-strikes in Syria. William Crawley discusses to what extent religious belief and theology are a driving force behind this group with Dr Katherine Brown, an expert in political Islam at King's College London, Dr Sara Silvestri who teaches International Politics at St Edmund's College, Cambridge and Haras Rafiq, Managing Director of the Quilliam Foundation.

Also in the programme: the inter-governmental summit on climate change is a fortnight away and campaigners from around the globe have begun their journeys to Paris. Trevor Barnes was in Trafalgar Square as around 40 "pilgrims" set off to the French capital - on foot.

Catholic Bishops in England and Wales have said their secondary schools should teach Judaism rather than Islam as part of its GCSE curriculum. A former Ofsted R.E adviser, Alan Brine, and Philip Robinson, adviser to the Catholic Education Service discuss.

A notice placed in the Jewish Chronicle by the London Beth Din has called for a man to be banned from Synagogues as he won't give his wife a religious divorce. Lawyer Joanna Greenaway explains why they decided to 'name and shame'.

As Myanmar holds its first contested general election in 25 years there's concern that the Muslim population has been denied a vote and that Buddhist monks are too influential. We have the latest on polling day from our correspondent there.

Thousands of British Asians are expected to pack Wembley to welcome the Indian PM Narendra Modi to the UK next week. We debate if inter-religious tensions in India have worsened since Modi came to power or if his policies are forging a new united India.

Two new books have exposed what they claim is, 'corruption, mismanagement and waste' at the heart of the Holy See. Christopher Lamb, Rome correspondent for The Tablet, tells Edward Stourton about Vatican reaction to the revelations.

Bob Walker reports on the blitz that destroyed Coventry Cathedral 75 years ago and how it still shapes Remembrance Sunday in the city.

The last surviving nuns who inspired the BBC 1 drama, Call the Midwife, are selling up and downsizing. Rosie Dawson pays them a visit them as they pack up the prayer books.

When hospital chaplain Jeremy Pemberton married his same sex partner the licences he required to work were refused by the Diocesan Bishop and he was unable to take up a new job. This week an employment tribunal ruled that decision was legal. Jeremy tells Edward what he plans to do next and Ruth Gledhill from Christian Today analyses what this decision means for the Church.

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Photo courtesy Coventry Cathedral.

When TATA Steel announced the loss of 900 jobs at their plant in Scunthorpe, one of the first people on site was industrial chaplain Peter Vickers. Bob Walker spent the day with him to hear how he is galvanising support for those affected.

Scandals in the NHS, Parliament and religious groups have undermined the public's trust in these institutions. On Monday, Lord Blair chairs a discussion with the Archbishop of Canterbury and Chief Rabbi about the challenges religious leaders face. Lord Blair tells William Crawley why he believes organisations have lost the confidence of the public and what they need to do.

The battle took place in 1415 near modern-day Agincourt in northern France. King Henry V was victorious. Juliet Barker author of Agincourt: Henry V and the Battle That Made England, tells us about the faith driven king

A recent report claims the majority of British Jews will be from the ultra-orthodox community by the end of the century. Rosie Dawson visits one of the largest communities in Manchester to explore the changes this could bring.

It's been 3 weeks of 'Cardinals clashing' and our reporter Helen Grady has been in Rome observing Church politics during the Synod on the Family. Father Alexander Lucie-Smith and commentator John Thavis debate the direction they think the Church will head after this Synod.

A 400 year old Bible that encourages adultery will go on sale next month. The typo caused a scandal when the mistake was discover in 1631 and led to the downfall of the printers. Professor Gordon Campbell looks at this and other unholy printing errors.

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Although the West is alarmed by President Putin's military intervention in Syria, he has widespread support at home. We report on why the Russian Orthodox church has called it a "holy war" and the country's Inter-religious council has also backed the action.

It's one hundred years since a Norfolk nurse was executed by the Germans for helping prisoners of war escape from Occupied Belgium. Kate Adie reflects on the world-wide impact of the death of Edith Cavell.

More than half of the 27,000 people infected with the Ebola virus in West Africa come from Sierra Leone, and while the medical crisis is easing, the long term effects on the communities affected are only now beginning to emerge. Kati Whitaker presents the first of two special reports for the programme this week.

The art of a good homebrew owes a lot to medieval monasteries. The recipe still used by the monks at Ampleforth Abbey dates back to the 17th century. Andrew Fletcher reports on what they might have to teach the burgeoning microbreweries today.

Nigerian Archbishop Matthew Man-oso Ndagoso, says calls on the Catholic Synod on the Family to discuss gay marriage are a distraction imposed by the Western media. Meanwhile, Professor Joel Baden suggests that the Synod should take seriously Biblical texts which honour childlessness.

When loved ones die, the last thing grieving relatives need are additional financial burdens. Church Action on poverty claims that the cost of a funeral has risen by nearly 80% in the last 10 years and are calling on clergy to help to reduce the impact of " funeral poverty."

Presenter Edward Stourton

Producer Rosie Dawson

Editor Amanda Hancox.

The archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, this week summoned the 37 heads of the worldwide Anglican Communion to a summit meeting to be held in January. Edward Stourton speaks to canon Dr Chris Sugden and rev Colin Coward about what the move could mean for the Communion and the Church of England..

As pope Francis arrives in Cuba, Bob Walker reports on the turbulent history of Communism and the Catholic Church in the country. Pope biographer Paul Vallely and fr James Keenan, director of the Jesuit Institute, Boston College, look ahead to the Pontiff's upcoming visit to the US.

Hazel Southam reports from the African Biblical Leadership Initiative in Malawi, which has been discussing responses to the migrant crisis and corruption.

As the Dalai Lama gives a rare address to thousands of people in London this weekend on the subject of compassion, Alexander Norman, director of the new Dalai Lama Centre for Compassion in Oxford, explores how the centre will seek "to change the way we think about ethics".

Young people from the new Community of St Anselm explain why they have chosen to live for a year at Lambeth Palace at the invitation of the archbishop of Canterbury.

The Psychoactive Substances Bill, which proposes a blanket ban on legal highs, has led to fears that use of incense in churches could be outlawed. Edward visits an incense-loving church for reaction.

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Edward speaks to the archbishop of Vienna, cardinal Christoph Schonborn about the migrant crisis in Europe.

In the second part of the series exploring the work of individuals who have devoted themselves to working for others of different faiths in their communities, there is a profile of Bradford Pentecostal pastor Benjamin Ayesu.

Pope Francis announced this week that all priests can grant forgiveness for the 'sin of abortion' during the Holy Year of Mercy. Professor Anthea Butler has been looking at the reaction in the US to Pope Francis's statement.

Rt Rev James Newcombe, Bishop of Carlisle, talks about the Church of England's opposition to the proposed change to the law on assisted dying. This is not, he says, an attempt to 'push' a religious viewpoint. He is worried that a change would have serious detrimental effects on individuals and society.

As the Queen becomes the longest reigning monarch in British history, the dean of Westminster, rev Dr John Hall, and Church historian, Diarmaid MacCulloch, reflect on how she has conducted herself in her role as supreme governor of the Church of England.

Rev. Dr Keith Clements explains how the two years spent in England by German Lutheran pastor and anti-Nazi dissident Dietrich Bonhoeffer, influenced his ministry before his execution in 1945.

This week Cardinal Vincent Nichols took the Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, to meet the pope for the first time. Reporter Charles Carroll was with them.

Photo credit Mazur/www.catholicnews.org.uk

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Services are being held this weekend to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of VJ Day. William Crawley speaks to Alan Wills whose father, George, was captured by the Japanese in 1942 and endured three years of brutal treatment as a prisoner of war.

Jeremy Timm, a Reader in the Church of England, will have his preaching licence revoked by the Archbishop of York after choosing to marry his same-sex partner next month. Kevin Bocquet spoke to him about his decision, and Bishop Robert Paterson, Chair of the Central Readers' Council, addresses the Church's management of the issue.

Scottish Catholic Journalist Ian Dunn explains the significance of the McLellan Commission which will publish its report into the child protection policies of the Catholic Church in Scotland next week.

The only victim of child sex abuse among the Chabad movement of ultra-orthodox Jews to give evidence, as part of Australia's Royal Commission, is now trying to set up an international inquiry into the extent of the problem in his faith, as Matt Wells reports.

Bob Walker continues our series of summer pilgrim walks as he explores the pagan connections of Avebury in Wiltshire.

Our series of essays on Christian persecution concludes with the BBC's Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet reporting from Pakistan.

And does contemporary atheism thrive on poor arguments and cheap sound bites? It's a claim made in a new book by Dr Andy Bannister. He debates with Sanderson Jones, co-founder of the non-religious Sunday Assembly.

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