Religion Media Centre Podcast

It's been three years since the outbreak of civil war in Sudan, and in the brutal conflict, the level of human suffering has reached “unimaginable levels”, according to aid agencies in the UK. They have grouped together to raise awareness of the issue and demand that urgent action is taken to address the humanitarian crisis, after millions of people have been displaced, essential services crippled...

The Bible Society’s report “A Quiet Revival” has been pulled after a review of the data found a number of “fraudulent respondents”. The report was based on a survey conducted by YouGov which found a dramatic increase of 56 per cent in the number of people attending church at least once a month from 2018-2024, with the growth particularly marked among 18-24 year olds. This high increase had not bee...

The green paper on the BBC Charter Review is up for public consultation, and in this Religion Media Centre briefing, faith leaders and media commentators discuss how religious broadcasting will develop in a time of technological and societal change. Religion has always been embedded in the BBC public service settlement, but in the new media landscape of algorithms and global competition, will ther...

The incoming Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, inherits a daunting in-tray, as faithful congregations keep the show on the road despite crumbling buildings, falling numbers of clergy and financial pressures. Nationally, the church is weary of safeguarding failures and deeply divided over same-sex blessings, with opponents already withholding funding, and plans for a parallel structure of b...

In our first RMC Briefing of 2026, we look at the report "Questions of Hope and Hate: Faith and Faultlines in a Changing Britain", published by the Good Faith Partnership and Hope Not Hate, which explores the reasons for faith narratives being mobilised for causes of division in Britain, and recommends actions to “strengthen the institutions and relationships that allow faith to serve the common g...

Bishop Richard Moth, the Bishop of Arundel and Brighton, has been chosen as the next Archbishop of Westminster, taking over from Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who has held the role for 16 years. In his first press conference, he introduced himself to the public, mentioning his years as Bishop to the Forces, and his work in prisons, commitment to social justice and initiatives with mental health issues...

This Religion Media Centre briefing is an annual review of religion in the headlines in 2025. The deadly attack on Jews at Bondi Beach came at the end of a year that saw antisemitism rise across the globe. Britain also saw an increase in hate crime against Muslims, while at the same time, there were new initiatives to build bridges and strengthen community relations. The Church of England experien...

Conversations between Jews and Muslims in Britain have been “very difficult” over the past two years since the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. But community leaders taking part in a Religion Media Centre briefing said that, two years on, there is a growing desire to rebuild good relations — despite continuing anxiety and mistrust. The renewed dialogue comes after the ceasefire in Gaza an...

The decision to place Religious Education in the national curriculum in England has delighted RE teachers and campaigners who have been seeking improvements for years. The recommendation was made by the government’s curriculum and assessment review, after the panel heard evidence that RE was not being taught very well, and in some cases, not taught at all. In this Religion Media Centre briefing, w...

A survey for the National Churches Trust has gauged the scale of repair, restoration and maintenance required by Britain's church buildings, and the challenges of local communities to keep them usable and standing. One in 20 may not be used as a place of worship in five years time, and one in ten need to make urgent repairs to roofs and guttering in the next year. The National Churches Trust says...

The state visit of the King and Queen Camilla to the Vatican to meet Pope Leo on Thursday 23 October will be a historic occasion. The monarch and the leader of the Roman Catholic Church will pray together in the Sistine Chapel for the first time since the Reformation. The King, who is Supreme Governor of the Church of England, will participate in an ecumenical service jointly led by Pope Leo and t...

A report on the role of faith groups in planning and designing new towns and housing developments states that their contribution is crucial to building community and social cohesion. Housing with Values: faith and belief perspectives on housing and community planning was discussed in this Religion Media Centre briefing, which heard that "housing is about more than bricks and mortar - it is about t...

Dame Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London, has been appointed Archbishop of Canterbury — the first woman to lead the Church of England in its 500-year history. At a Religion Media Centre briefing, journalists and church leaders reflected on her qualities and achievements, outlining their hopes and expectations for her leadership. Speakers described her style as “courageous” and “pastoral,” traits seen...

Later this month, the Crown Nominations Commission is expected to decide the name of the next Archbishop of Canterbury, who will be the spiritual leader of the Church of England and head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The appointment comes at a time of unprecedented turbulence in the church, the country and the world. In this Religion Media Centre briefing, people from a range of perspective...

The number of British universities offering single-honours Theology and Religious Studies degrees in UK universities has fallen to just 21, driven by financial pressures and falling student demand. Departments have been closed, merged, and subject to redundancies. In this Religion Media Centre briefing, our panel explored why students studying A-level Religious Studies often choose not to continue...

Muslims in the UK feel hugely under-represented in the media, and research suggests almost 60 per cent of all articles are negative, according to speakers at the Religion Media Festival’s panel discussion on “Muslims in Britain”. Burhan Wazir, editor-in-chief of Hyphen Online, told the audience that the vast majority of stories tend to look at Muslims from a security or Islamophobia point of view,...

A panel discussion on British Media and British Jews considered how the war in Gaza, triggered by the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October, had impacted coverage of the community in Britain. There have been reports on rising antisemitism and divisions within the Jewish community itself, with 36 members of the Board of Deputies of British Jews objecting to its stance on Gaza and making this public....

The media landscape is changing at speed, and in this panel, millennials who are talking about religion in podcasts, film and online, explained why and how they do it. They said their audience wants to ask questions in a safe space and that millennials (currently aged 29 – 44) accept that society is pluralist. They all grew up and went to school with people of all faiths, so it was ridiculous not...

There aren’t that many reporters who specialise in reporting religion in the UK, but their diary has been overflowing in the past year. There are religious angles to all the main stories of today – the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, the riots in the summer of 2024, and the needs of people in poverty helped by people of faith. The religious organisations themselves have been making headlines with the fi...

When Labour swept to power in July 2024, it promised to work with faith leaders in a programme of national renewal. Soon after, summer riots across Britain, after the murder of three girls in Southport, revealed a breakdown in social cohesion and tested community relations. One year on, a panel at the Religion Media Festival discussed what had happened since, and how community was being rebuilt an...

Football and religion have a lot in common; in fact, according to Dal Darroch, head of diversity and inclusion programmes at the Football Association, they are inextricably linked. In a presentation to the Religion Media Festival, he explained how they both give a sense of purpose, identity and belonging. The FA is, he said, trying to inspire positive change through football, ensuring equal opport...

Sir Mark Thompson, chief executive of CNN and former director-general of the BBC, told the Religion Media Festival that religion is important for journalists to understand and report well, not least because the overwhelming majority of people in the world have some level of commitment to it. A committed Catholic, he found religion “intriguing and fascinating”, but not everyone in the media busines...

The Religion Media Festival 2025 opened with an interview by Roger Bolton with Channel 4 journalist Cathy Newman, who exposed the scandal of serial abuser John Smyth and the Church of England’s cover-up. She spoke of the way she got the incredible story of Smyth’s ‘barbaric’ abuse, her editor’s immediate response to investigate, and her impressions of Justin Welby - overwhelmed by events, who was...

The Church of England General Synod has concluded its annual residential meeting in York, after a wide-ranging agenda on internal affairs, as well as issues affecting the country. They heard from a Brigadier about the dangerous world and the need for the church to prepare for war and support the chaplains. The Archbishop of Jerusalem addressed the synod on the plight of people in Gaza and won two...

A global project to examine the changing role of religion in society during the Covid pandemic has reviewed what happened in five societies - Canada, Germany, Poland, Ireland and Northern Ireland. Academics looked at the place of religion in the health services with, for example, disagreements over the ethics of using certain vaccines; the changing relations with governments over closure of places...