Sunday

The English National Opera and BBC Two are going ahead with a full rendition of Handel's Messiah over Easter. The soprano Nadine Benjamin and the conductor Laurence Cummings tell Emily Buchanan why this socially distanced performance means so much to them. After a tense week in which a Batley school used an "inappropriate" image of the Prophet Mohammed, we discuss how you strike the balance betwee...

I've Forgotten Now Who I Used To Be is an album from Ghana's so called Witch Camps. The Italian-Rwandan film maker Marilena Delli Umuhoza and the Grammy award winning producer Ian Brennan recorded music made by women accused of witchcraft and ostracised. Most are guilty of nothing more than being older, destitute or of having disabilities. The couple specialise in documenting the music of the marg...

In this episode of Sunday we hear the little known Jewish history of one of the most influential protest songs of the 20th century 'Strange Fruit' and how it came to be performed by Billie Holiday, which is the subject of the film 'The United States vs Billie Holiday' currently streaming on Sky Cinema. Former prison inmate now prison chaplain, Jonathan Aitken takes us inside HMP Pentonville, as he...

Sister Norma Pimentel is one of the most important advocates for immigrants in the United States. For over three decades, she has been working to support migrants seeking refuge in the U.S. along Texas border with Mexico and as Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, she directs efforts to provide shelter, food, sanctuary and comfort to people often treated as less than...

Sixty of the country’s black majority churches have joined forces to support the Covid vaccination programme. Pastor Agu Irukwu, head of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, which is operating a pop-up vaccination centre, talks to Ed Stourton about what they are doing to tackle vaccine hesitancy. Pope Francis is due to visit Iraq this Friday. It will be the pontiff's first international trip sinc...

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 to...

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...

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 rais...

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...

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. On...

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 wit...

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 h...

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 Ta...

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 fr...

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 assau...

Millions of farmers across India are striking in a dispute with the government over new agricultural laws. The Government says the new law would free farmers from a current system of middlemen, but the farmers believe prices will fall and small farmers will struggle. Indians of many faiths are involved but the majority are Sikh and Sikh communities around the world have been demonstrating, concern...

Police officer Uzma Amireddy has designed a new hijab which allows muslim women to wear the head scarf safely while on duty. We hear why it was important to develop the hijab and how she hopes the new design will be rolled out across the country. As well as church services going on-line this year so has Sunday School. In the Diocese of Hereford, curate Jo Burden invited her group of 8-11year olds...

It's the first Sunday in Advent and once lock down is lifted Christmas carols will be allowed to be sung outside in all three tiers. Stuart Barr Conductor and founder of "Out to Perform" talks about the value of live outdoor music during the pandemic and beyond. Front pages around the world reacted to the death of Diego Maradona with the headlines such as “God is Dead” and “heavenly”. To those in...

After the damning report into safeguarding practices in the Catholic Church at the IICSA inquiry, the Church has announced it's next steps. What are they and do they go far enough? William Crawley hears analysis from the BBC's Harry Farley, reaction from a survivor and asks Carol Lawrence, a member of the Safeguarding Review Panel, will these changes make the Catholic church a safe space? A recent...

It's over a 100 days since the blast shook the Lebanese capital, Beirut. In the weeks following hundreds of volunteers gathered to clear the city’s streets and repair the damage caused. Among them was artist, Hayat Nazer - who saw an opportunity to create a statue from the debris that would inspire hope for the people of Lebanon. The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales has been heavil...

Events to commemorate Remembrance Sunday will be very different this year because of COVID-19. Organisers have cancelled wreath laying ceremonies and a ban on communal worship means many services will not be allowed to take place. The Ven Martyn Gough, Chaplain of the Fleet and Archdeacon for the Royal Navy explains how he will be marking the day and why many in the Navy will be able to gather to...

Following the sad news that comedian Bobby Ball died this week Emily Buchanan hears the little known story of how a knock on his dressing room door in 1986 led to him becoming a born-again Christian and how his faith transformed his life. After the attack on the Church in Nice Emily Buchanan gets analysis from three journalists on the fraught nature of relations between France and Islam both home...

As large parts of the UK enter stricter COVID restrictions this weekend, many businesses and individuals say they face a challenging winter. Seven months ago during the national lockdown, SUNDAY heard from three people who were getting to grips with running their church, mosque and synagogue. Edward catches up with them to hear how they managed and what they have learnt from the experience. FRANCE...

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown makes the moral case for full employment in an exclusive interview for Sunday with the BBC’s Harry Farley. A week after the city of Liverpool moved into the Tier 3 system of Covid restrictions, Edward Stourton talks to the Bishop of Liverpool Paul Bayes about how people in the city are coping and how to rebuild trust which, he says, has broken down during the pan...

‘But Where are You Really From’, is a new book by Amanda Khozi Mukwashi, the CEO of the international aid charity Christian Aid. It tells the story of her family’s migration across southern Africa and her own journey to the UK. As we mark Black History Month, Amanda explores the real questions she believes we need to be asking ourselves and each other about where we come from. Damming, shameful an...