Sunday

In her day, Queen Emma was a powerful political figure who married two successive Kings of England and was the mother of Edward the Confessor. Experts believe that they have found her bones in a mortuary chest at Winchester Cathedral. Replicas of those bones now form the centrepiece of a new exhibition exploring the relationship between monarchy, power and the church. Trevor Barnes has been to inv...

Walking pilgrimages are increasingly capturing the popular imagination; Bernadette Kehoe joins pilgrims on a new pilgrimage route in Kent. The ‘Augustine Camino’ winds its way from the Anglican Cathedral in Rochester to the Catholic shrine of St Augustine. Jean Vanier, the Catholic theologian and founder of the L’Arche communities, died this week. We pay tribute to his life and work with John Sarg...

Ramadan begins tomorrow and for the next month, Muslims will fast every day from sunrise to sunset. Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam as is Zakat - the compulsory giving of a proportion of your wealth to charity. We hear from young Muslims about the importance of giving. Today the Pope sets off on a visit to Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia. Why is he visiting countries in wh...

Sri Lanka's Easter Sunday bombings left at least 250 dead and more than 500 wounded. One week on we examine the history behind Sri Lanka's religious tensions and speak to a Catholic leader as churches across the country remain shut in fear of further attacks. After so-called Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, we ask if this is now the terror group will operate now its territory h...

How was the date of Easter decided in the West? Michael Carter, Monastic Historian at English Heritage explains why Whitby Abbey played a crucial role. Ethirajan Anbarasan from the BBC's Sihala service gives the latest on the bombing of churches and hotels in Sri Lanka where hundreds have died. Cardinal Vincent Nichols head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales joins Emily live to discuss is...

This weekend Sikhs all over the UK and the world are celebrating Vaisakhi. It marks one of the most important religious, historical dates in the Sikh calendar. William Crawley will be talking to Dr Jagbir Jhutti-Johal, Senior Lecturer in Sikh Studies at the University of Birmingham. The hit BBC sitcom Fleabag has reignited a debate about priestly celibacy. Alex Walker quit the priesthood when he f...

Sunday morning religious news and current affairs programme.

William Crawley discusses an unlikely alliance forged in the battle for Brexit when he discusses the relationship between the Protestant DUP and devout Catholic Jacob Rees Mogg with Professor Jon Tonge and journalist Mary Kenny It is exactly 60 years today since the Dalai Lama arrived in India having fled the Chinese authorities in Tibet disguised as a soldier. Krishna Das, Reuters’ Chief Correspo...

The Home Office says they are investigating after an official used Bible quotes to argue Christianity is not a peaceful religion in a bid to refuse an Iranian convert asylum. Was this a rogue incident or is it part of a wider pattern? Sam Brownback is the US Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom. He speaks to us about China, Pakistan and Asia Bibi. And in India violence against D...

Experts at Creswell Crags in Nottinghamshire thought the hundreds of markings covering the walls of caves were Victorian graffiti. Now they are believed to be Britain's largest collection of 'witch markings' from 16th - 18th centuries to protect people from the dark forces of the underworld. Reporter Harry Farley went to see them. The head of China’s state-sanctioned Protestant Church claims Weste...

This week marks the 25th anniversary of the first female ordinations in the Church of England. Rosie Dawson reports on the struggle women faced to become priests and the opposition that still exists in some segments of the Church. Amanda Spielman is Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of schools and she has angered some conservative religious groups by saying all children must learn about same-sex coupl...

94 year old Helen Taylor-Thompson talks to Emily Buchanan ahead of International Women's Day. She was a member of Churchill’s ‘Secret Army’ during World War 2 and went on to found Europe’s first AIDS hospice in the 1980's. She talks to Emily about how her Christian faith has helped her through. A new service in Farsi is launched at Wakefield Cathedral to cater for a growing number of Iranians who...

Tania Joya is a former ISIS bride and now lives in the US and works in de-radicalisation. She talks to Edward Stourton about the Shamima Begum case. Sunday's Harry Farley reports on how some Orthodox Jews state they will leave the country if new Government plans on Relationship education are implemented. Martin Bashir reports from Rome on the final day of a major summit on clergy sexual abuse, as...

Buried within medieval archives is the story of Joan of Leeds – a nun who faked her own death in order to run away and live a wanton life. Professor Sarah Rees Jones of York University tells Edward the story. And why not everyone wants to be cremated even though we’re running out of space for burials - Professor Douglas Davies, director of Durham University’s Centre of Death and Life Studies and M...

Nigeria’s presidential elections on February 16 will decide who leads Africa’s most populous nation for the next four years. In a Sunday special from Lagos, Edward Stourton explores the effect religion plays in Nigerian life and its importance in the upcoming ballot. Religiously linked violence in Nigeria’s northern states and middle belt colours the backdrop of these elections. We speak to those...

The Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, talks to Emily Buchanan at the launch of his review into the persecution of Christians around the world. The Bishop of Liverpool Paul Bayes is one of the most vocal advocates of LGBTI inclusion in the House of Bishops. He tells Emily Buchanan about his new book The Table and why he believes the Church needs to be open to all those on the margins. And - its the l...

On this Holocaust Memorial Day, Edward talks to Hannah Lewis who survived a Nazi labour camp. Olivia Marks-Woldman joins Hannah to discuss new figures on British attitudes to the Holocaust. Composer Will Todd talks about his new CD of jazz/gospel 'Passion Music'. Further allegations against the late Bishop of Chichester - George Bell are "unfounded" according to a new CofE report. The current Bish...

Amit and Naroop have photographed world famous musicians including 50 Cent and Tinie Tempah but this week launch a book of striking images of Turban wearing Sikhs. They talk to William Crawley about the project. The remains of six unidentified victims of the Holocaust, sent to the Imperial War Museum 20 years ago, will be given a Jewish burial on Sunday. William Crawley speaks to the Chief Rabbi E...

The New Room in Bristol is Methodism's oldest chapel, built by John Wesley in 1739. Bob Walker reports after an 18-month, multi-million pound renovation that includes a new stained glass window telling the story of Wesley's life. The Church of England has faced criticism for its investments in Amazon and Google but it is also using its financial weight to pressure oil companies such as ExxonMobil...

For more than three centuries, St. Bride's Church in Fleet Street has had a close connection with the newspaper industry. The saddest services are funerals of journalists killed in the line of duty. Between 1st January and 14th December 2018, at least 53 journalists were killed around the world. Standing in front of the journalists’ altar, Edward meets two veteran journalists - the BBC’s Lyce Douc...

Emily Buchanan talks to Libby Purves about her collection of Nativity scenes. After which, Bishop David Walker and the Revd Dr Ian Paul will discuss if Jesus was actually born in a stable and whether or not it really matters. Fergal Keane remembers a happy Christmas time in Soweto in the early 1990s and Yolande Knell has been celebrating the Feast of St Nicholas with Palestinian Christians. The Bi...

William Crawley presents a special edition of the Sunday programme looking at immigration and how different religious groups in the United Kingdom engage with this issue. As we look ahead to 2019 and the UK’s exit from the European Union, immigration is an issue which will continue to dominate politics. In this special edition of the programme William Crawley is joined by Dr Anna Rowlands from Dur...

To keep Christ at the heart of the Christmas story, churches in North London have pulled out the pews and replaced them with Mary, Joseph, Shepherds and Herod to name a few, as over 900 primary school children have come together to recreate the first ever Christmas through an immersive story telling journey. Rosie Wright reports. NHS specialist organ donation nurse, Angela Ditchfield, tells Edward...

Naz Shah MP, parliamentary ambassador for Islamic relief's ‘Honour Her’ campaign, speaks candidly to Edward about her personal reasons for joining the campaign to tackle all forms of violence against women and girls. A bitter divorce case in the orthodox Jewish community of Stamford Hill has revealed instances of housing benefit fraud - with some claiming it's prevalent in the community and assist...

This Sunday is the first day of Hanukkah - the Jewish festival of light. It is also the first Sunday in Advent on which Christingle services will be held in many Christian churches. We look at the significance of both festivals. The competition regulator has issued a report highlighting the rising costs of funerals. We discuss whether this will lead to transparency and lower funeral costs. The Cha...