Sunday

A look at the ethical and religious issues of the week

'Racism is a gaping wound in the body of Christ' - so said the former Labour cabinet minister Paul Boateng. He is chairing the Archbishops' Commission for Racial Justice, and this week he produced the first of several papers on what needs to be done to heal that wound. We hear from him and the Reverend Arun Arora about how the work is going.Next week sees the start of the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief in London. 600 delegates from 60 countries will take part. The Tory MP Fiona Bruce will be in the chair - she's the Prime Minister's special envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief. It's the fourth such conference and we ask her what's been achieved so far.The Church of England diocese of Blackburn wants parishes to drop wedding fees because they are 'economically unjust'. It's passed its own motion on the matter and will be proposing the plan when the General Synod gathers next weekend. The fee for a C of E wedding is usually between 512 and 560 pounds. We hear what that's

The traditional Sufi devotional music known as Qawwali had its origins in the 13th Century, now the ensemble known as The Orchestral Qawwali Project are breathing new life into this ancient art. We caught up with them at the Bradford Literature Festival. And we journey to another part of the country to find out how music and spirituality go hand in hand at Glastonbury. From baptisms to wedding blessings to providing safe spaces, Reverend Chris North, Chair of the Church at Glastonbury reveals what it is like to minister to festival-goers. We continue our series of conversations to mark Pride month with Richard Kirker, a Founder Member of Lesbian and Gay Christians and Saima Razzaq, a Lesbian and Muslim, who is part of Birmingham Pride. As the US Supreme Court overturns Roe V Wade, Emily finds out what the ruling means for Shawn Carney, CEO and Founder of 40 Days For Life and Rachel Laser, President and CEO of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. At the heart of many Gypsy, Roma and Tra

Should the Lords Spiritual be scrapped? Currently 26 bishops sit in the Lords. But it's been reported that some cabinet ministers want that to end after the Church of England criticised the government's plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda. We debate the issues with the former attorney general Dominic Grieve - a practising Anglican and former Conservative MP - and Dr Jonathan Chaplin from the Divinity Faculty at the University of Cambridge.In Ukraine, the focus of the fighting has shifted to the Donbas region, but it is as fierce as ever. A senior government official has told the BBC that Ukraine is losing between one and two hundred troops every day. Military chaplain Father Sergiy Berezhnoy, a Ukrainian Orthodox priest and a chaplain to the 42nd Battalion of Defenders of Kyiv tells Edward how Ukrainian soldiers are bearing up in the latest battle.The Archbishop of Canterbury has apologised after research showed the Church of England's investment fund has links to the slave trade. Justin Welby said he is

Musician Jim Seals was the man behind 1970’s classics like Diamond Girl and Summer Breeze. Jim who passed away this week at the age of 80, was also an adherent of the Baha’i faith. Fellow Bahaist, Jack Lenz, the Canadian composer and friend, pays his own tribute. National celebrations or commemorations often include a keynote Bible reading from the Prime Minister of the day, but perhaps inadvertently they can also invite commentary on political leadership. It’s something Prime Minister Boris Johnson fell prey to at the recent Platinum Jubilee Thanksgiving Service, when he read a passage from the New Testament, focussing on the theme of integrity. Edward discusses the pitfalls with the Reverends George Pitcher and Fergus Butler Gallie. Nigeria’s government is facing increasing criticism for failing to tackle widespread insecurity in the country. Now for the first time, the authorities are blaming a militant Islamic State group for the recent attack on Christian worshippers in the town of Owo, in the

It’s the Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend and Sunday is joining in the day’s celebrations. Her Majesty the Queen has always had a strong Christian faith, but how has that become more evident to the public throughout her reign? We hear from two experts in the field.What does the Jubilee mean to people of other faiths? We join the Muslim organisers of one event in London, bringing together dozens of different nationalities and faiths, as well as refugees, at a food bank in London. Across the country, more than 60,000 people have registered to host Big Jubilee Lunches. There’s a battle in the music charts as several different versions of “God Save the Queen” compete for the number 1 spot. But choirs across the country will be singing the Jubilee anthem – Rise Up and Serve – which was composed especially for this weekend.The war in Ukraine has increased the tensions between the independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate, which comes under the authority of Pa

As the population over 65 becomes more ethnically diverse, how ready are care providers to help meet their religious and spiritual needs? It’s a question which has inspired Maaha Suleiman to come up with an App designed to help Care Agencies and Councils match people based on religious and cultural understanding. Our reporter Vishva Samani looks at how it works in practice. The official celebrations for the Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday will include a special Thanksgiving Service at St. Paul’s. The Dean, the Very Revd. Dr. David Ison, shares some of the plans the Cathedral has in store. Following the Church of Scotland's vote to allow clergy to conduct same-sex marriages, we ask what it means for the future of the Church and its wider Protestant family. We hear from those right at the heart of the issue, the Rev Prof Andrew McGowan and the Rev. Scott M Rennie. The Most Revd Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, tells us about the power of reconciliation, the theme of his latest book. And in the wake of the

We explore how different religious groups in the United States regard 'replacement theory'. This is the idea that politicians are attempting to wipe out White Americans by 'replacing' them with non-White immigrants and Jewish people and is often associated with Christian nationalism. This 'theory' was referenced by the 18-year-old who is alleged to have shot 10 people dead in a supermarket in a mainly black area of Buffalo.Thirty years ago a group of students from different parts of the UK set about carving out dedicated spaces for Hindu young people at universities. The National Hindu Students Forum is now the largest Hindu student organisation outside of India, representing 10,000 students at Hindu societies across the UK. They marked their 30 year anniversary with a celebration at the House of Lords this week. Edwards speaks to Janhavi Dadarkar who was one of the founding members of the Forum in the early nineties, and Dhruvisha Joshi who’s a Hindu student at Loughborough University. And the Commonwealth W

Generations of black women and girls who took up the call to religious life in America found themselves subjected to racism, sexism and exclusion from within their own Roman Catholic communities. Edward Stourton explores this hidden history with Dr Shannon Dee Williams, from the University of Dayton in Ohio and author of ‘Subversive Habits: Black Catholic Nuns in the Long African American Freedom Struggle’ and Dr Patricia Grey, a former nun and the Founding President of the National Black Sisters Conference. The war in Ukraine has prompted many countries to review their military strategies. But one religious group believes the way to bring peace is for individuals to build bridges. The Quakers in Britain are suggesting people contact individual Russians, emphasising our common humanity and shared values. They call it Citizen Diplomacy, and hundreds of Quakers have been using social media to reach people in Russia, or making cards to send. One Russian supporter of the Quakers, who now lives in the UK, has b

What's your favourite Bible film? And can a movie really offer a new perspective on the text? This weekend Sunday is discussing movies from Pasolini's Gospel according to St Matthew to The Ten Commandments and Jesus Christ Superstar with Matthew Page author of a new @BFI book. Tell us which are your favourites - email Sunday@bbc.co.uk.Police used batons this week to break up a clash between Hindus and Muslims after Eid prayers in the city of Jodhpur in India. Edward discusses the escalating tensions between the groups with London School of Economics Professor Mukulika Banerjee, a social anthropologist who has lived and worked in rural India for more than 20 years. And he hears how South Asian communities in the UK are affected by and responding to the violence from Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra - an Imam from Leicester who is of Gujarati Indian heritage and the Hindu author and philosopher Satish Sharma. And could empathy and questions be the best way to get good behaviour in schools? Edward talks to Ellis Brooks from

For the fist time, Muslims in Blackburn will be able to celebrate Eid-al-Fitr at their local football ground. Blackburn Rovers will be hosting Eid prayers on their Ewood Park pitch. The town has a growing Muslim population and, as he tells our presenter William Crawley, the club's Integration and Development Manager Yasir Sufi hopes this new initiative will inspire a new generation of fans to be a part of the Rovers FC family. With food prices continuing to rise, we hear about the stark realities of providing for those in need, with Helen Carroll, Foodbank Manager for the multi-faith charity 'Spirit of Springburn' in Glasgow and Reverend Dean Roberts who runs the Parish Trust, an independent Christian charity in Caerphilly, South Wales. We also hear from the Bishop of Durham the Rt. Rev Paul Butler, Leader for the Lords Spiritual on Welfare Reform, who's calling for the Government to strengthen the social security system, to keep up with the true cost of living. Religious groups here and in Poland are frustra

Today voters in France go to the polls in the final round of the country's presidential election. The incumbent Emmanuel Macron is being challenged by Marine Le Pen. As in previous elections, immigration and religion have been among the campaign issues. We consider how important public attitudes to Islam have been in the campaign and how the candidates have negotiated the issue. After many weeks of war in Ukraine and people flooding over the borders into neighbouring European countries, Ukrainian refugees are now arriving in the UK. We hear from a trainee Anglican cleric about how her faith inspired her to provide a home to a young man who fled from Ukraine. She has hosted refugees before and finds it really rewarding. For her, opening her home to a stranger is an expression of her Christian faith.It's 18 months since the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) published its highly critical investigation into the Church of England. It described the church as a place where abusers could

Following last week’s dramatic tale of how some sacred Sikh scriptures were rescued from a gurdwara in Ukraine, Emily Buchanan went to see them in their new home at the National Sikh Museum in Derby.Patriarch Kirill is the head of the Russian Orthodox Church who is backing President Putin and supporting the war in Ukraine. He reportedly has historic KGB links and a liking for expensive watches, but what do we really know about him?There are an estimated 180 Muslim footballers in the Premier League. How are football clubs catering for Muslim players who are fasting during the month of Ramadan?Presenter: Emily Buchanan Producers: Dan Tierney and Julia Paul Editor: Helen Grady.

How should religious leaders respond in times of war? The primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill has been severely criticised for endorsing his country's invasion of Ukraine. The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, a leading scholar of eastern Christianity, tells us how he feels about Kirill's failure to even call for a ceasefire. Also, it's forty years since the Falkland Islands were occupied by Argentina, sparking a war with Britain in the south Atlantic. We reflect on whether church leaders at the time got the tone right, when they publicly called for prayers for the families of Argentinian as well as British servicemen who died in the conflict.The holy month of Ramadan is just beginning, when Muslims fast during daylight hours. In spite of recent tensions between some members of the Jewish and Muslim communities, a London synagogue is hosting Muslims and sharing in their "iftar" or fast breaking. The idea is to promote friendship between the two faith groups. We hear from

Perhaps not since the Second World War has a conflict been so readily characterised as ‘good vs evil’. Is that helpful? What do we mean by 'evil' and how might we view it in the context of the Ukraine war?Girls’ secondary schools in Afghanistan were due to open last week but the Taliban reversed its decision at the last minute, saying a ruling is still to be made on the uniforms that girls must wear. What is the longer-term significance of this U-turn?Many theatre directors are reluctant to put on Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice because of the prominence of antisemitism in the play. A new version, directed by a Jewish woman, Abigail Graham, seeks to explore how antisemitism manifests itself in society.Presenter: Edward Stourton Producers: Dan Tierney and Amanda Hancox Editor: Helen Grady.

There is a long history of religious images being used during wartime, to support propaganda. During the current conflict in Ukraine one image, created to help raise money for the country, has gone viral. Mary Magdalene is depicted clutching an anti-tank missile. Her halo and gown are in the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag. The image, known as "St Javelin" has been widely circulated on social media as a representation of Ukraine's strength and defiance. We examine the power of images like this to stir us, and in this case, encourage us to donate money.Russky Mir or ‘Russian World’ is cited as the ideology behind Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Reporter Harry Farley and producer Orla O’Brien unpack the mixture of theology and nationalism behind this idea and ask why so many Orthodox leaders are rejecting it. They discover the implications both for Ukraine’s churches and also its people.Thousands of people in the UK have already expressed an interest in providing a home for refugees from Ukraine. Ma

The Vatican lead on refugees and migrants, Cardinal Michael Czerny, tells us why Pope Francis sent him to Hungary and Ukraine to meet people fleeing war. Presenter William Crawley asks why why the Pope has not denounced the Russian President Vladimir Putin. And Vatican analyst Christopher Lamb gives an insight into the faith diplomacy going on behind the scenes. While faith leaders around the world have called for prayers of peace in Ukraine, some will wonder - what is the point of prayer in times like these? We finds out how prayer has been used in previous conflicts as William seeks answers with Canon Professor Michael Snape, an Historian of Christianity and Conflict at Durham University and Ecumenical Lay Canon at Durham Cathedral. As the Government lay out its plans to help refugees from Ukraine come to the UK, we hear from some of those responding to a plea from Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romaine MBE, from the Maidenhead Synagogue in Berkshire, to offer a 'Ukraine transport' and open their homes to provide sanctu

There are growing calls for the Russian Orthodox Church, led by the Moscow Patriarch Kirill, to condemn the Russian President Vladimir Putin for his decision to invade Ukraine. Earlier this week, the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church called on Patriarch Kirill to urge the leaders of the Russian Federation to ‘immediately cease the hostilities that threaten to turn into a world war’. And Russian Orthodox priests around the world are speaking out against the invasion. We hear from one in Durham and Edward Stourton speaks to Father Stephen Platt, Secretary for Inter-Christian Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church in Great Britain and Ireland. We will also hear from Ukrainian refugees in Poland on their plight and the welcome they've received from Polish churches and the Jesuit Refugee Service. Tetiana Stawnychy, president of Caritas Ukraine, tell us what aid is needed now. And we find out about the Christian radio station broadcasting defiantly from Kyiv, offering spiritual and practical support as th

As Russia invades Ukraine and the country’s government and citizens weigh up the value of continuing resistance, we’ll ask whether Just War theory can offer them any guidance.We speak to church leaders including the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, who joins us to discuss the unfolding crisis as well as Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski, who is the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in this country.Ukraine also has a significant Jewish minority and a deep history in Ukraine and Europe. We speak to Volodymyr Vysotsky, from the Jewish Ukrainian Social Initiative who is in Kyiv and providing humanitarian aid to the Jewish community. We also speak to Paul Anticoni, the Chief Executive of World Jewish Relief about the the humanitarian aid that he and other faith organisations are delivering to those in need. Produced by: Louise Clarke-Rowbotham and Jill Collins

A pair of media-savvy nuns in Boston, USA, have attracted over 15 million views to the videos they’ve posted on social media. The Daughters of St Paul have more than 156,000 followers on TikTok. Their posts give an entertaining insight into life in a convent, depicting dance routines, pranks and funny takes on popular culture. They’re an unusual comedy duo, but the sisters tell our presenter Emily Buchanan, that their real objective is simply to bring Jesus into people’s lives.The number of people regularly attending Christian churches in the UK has fallen sharply in recent decades. We hear from one clergyman who arrived at church to find that nobody at all had arrived to hear his service. Why is it that fewer people choose to go to church these days, and what’s the secret behind those churches that are growing? Tens of thousands of German-speaking Jews were placed in camps during the war in Britain, because it was feared that they might be spies. In fact, many had fled Nazi Germany and sought refu