His was the shortest papacy in modern times. The sudden death of Pope John Paul I, after a pontificate of just 33 days, shocked the world and generated a host of conspiracy theories. As his beatification this weekend takes him one stage closer to becoming a saint, we speak to a man who was invited by the Vatican to investigate his death, John Cornwell, author of ‘A Thief in the Night: Life and Death in the Vatican'. The devastating floods in Pakistan have left millions of people homeless and destroyed buildings, bridges and roads. Vast swathes of the country are now under water. More than a thousand people have died, and more have been injured. Many British Muslims have joined the efforts to provide relief in the country. We hear from the Nottingham based charity, Muslim Hands, which is working in Pakistan, about the help that's needed and how people can offer support.In India, after decades of many unborn girls being aborted, new research suggests the country's sex ratio at birth is beginning to normalise. The Pew Research Center suggests that "son bias" has declined sharply. Edward Stourton asks Professor Jagbir Jhutti-Johal, Professor of Sikh Studies at Birmingham University, why attitudes are changing and daughters are now more often being celebrated.A new book brings together the stories of Christians who feel their disability prevents them from playing a full part in church life. This year's Church of England General Synod unanimously backed a motion committing to the removal of barriers that prevent disabled people from engaging. But personal stories in the book suggest that the problem is not simply with access to church, but with theology too. Producer: Jonathan Hallewell
Presenter: Edward Stourton
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Folge vom 04.09.2022Pope John Paul I; Pakistan floods; Disability at church
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Folge vom 28.08.2022Liverpool shooting; Great cathedrals; Russian JewsChurches in Liverpool are today opening their doors to members of the community still struggling to come to terms with the shooting of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel. Olivia was killed as her mother struggled with a gunman at the door of their home on Monday. The Right Reverend Beverley Mason is the acting Bishop of Liverpool and also Bishop of Warrington. She tells William Crawley about the support they can offer.An astonishing 20,500 of Russia's estimated 165,000 Jews have left Russia since the invasion of Ukraine. According to the Jewish Agency, which helps Jews move to Israel, at least one in eight Jews has now left the country - including the Chief Rabbi of Moscow, Pinchas Goldschmidt. Many have gone to Israel, but thousands more have moved to other countries. Anna Shternshis, Professor of Yiddish Studies and a Specialist in Russian Jewish history at the University of Toronto, tells us why.One of the UK’s oldest church-based youth organisations may be about to split. The Northern Ireland section of the Boy's Brigade, which has been mostly linked to the conservative-leaning Presbyterian Church in Ireland, is about to poll its leaders on a motion to separate from the national organisation. The Boys' Brigade has historically been one organisation across the British Isles, so this would be a major departure. One third of members are based in Northern Ireland. And what's your favourite cathedral? A new book celebrates the lives, legacies and extraordinary histories of some of the world's greatest cathedrals. Author and architectural historian Emma Wells tells us where her research took her.Presented by William Crawley. produced by Julia Paul and Jill Collins.
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Folge vom 21.08.2022William Shatner, Bahá’is in Iran, Class in the Church of EnglandHow do we preserve memories of loved ones after their death? An innovative new technology has been developed that allows people to interact virtually with someone who has recorded answers to a series of questions before their death. We discuss the moral implications and hear from the actor William Shatner who has documented his own life in a video for future generations. In Iran, there are reports that authorities have arrested several leaders from the Bahá’i community and demolished homes. William Crawley speaks to Oxford law professor Dr Nazila Ghanea, who was recently appointed the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief and Iqan Shahidi, a Baha'i from Iran, who was imprisoned for 5 years for campaigning for the right of Baha’is to a university education. Does the Church of England have a class problem? We ask bricklayer turned curate, Revd Luke Larner, and Dr Liz Graveling who has recently commissioned a study on the experience of working class clergy.Producers: Katharine Longworth and Dan Tierney.
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Folge vom 14.08.202214/08/2022The stabbing of author Salman Rushdie has again ignited the debate around freedom of speech and religious sensibilities. At this stage it's not known why the 75-year-old was attacked. The broadcaster and journalist Mobeen Azhar, who produced the podcast Fatwa, joins us to talk about the background to the threats made against Salman Rushdie after the publication of his book "The Satanic Verses" in 1988.It is already a whole year since the Taliban took over again in Afghanistan. Thousands of refugees were able to come to the UK - but a year on, up to 10,000 are still living in cramped hotels, while for those left in Afghanistan, life is even more precarious. Marzia Babakarkhail, who was a judge in Kabul, came to the UK in 2008 after the Taliban tried to assassinate her twice. She arrived with no English, but joins us to explain how now she works for the Oldham MP Debbie Abrahams on immigration and asylum seeker cases - and earlier this year ran to be a local councillor.We've talked before about the cost of living crisis, but as prices continue to rise, now religious buildings are also facing huge bills. One Methodist minister tells us that in the last year, his monthly electricity bill has risen from £70 to £1000 a month. New research from the Theos think tank finds many religious organisations are having to make difficult decisions about the services they will still be able to offer.And with many of us overwhelmed by constant stories of environmental or economic crisis, not to mention worries about physical or mental health, the Medicine Festival in Berkshire next weekend sounds like the perfect antidote. Its aim is to envision a more enlightened, peaceful and sustainable world and provides a platform for so called 'indigenous wisdom keepers' to share their teachings, ceremonies and traditional technologies.Presented by Emily Buchanan. Produced by Amanda Hancox and Julia Paul.