Sunday Folgen

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 hide and described an environment in which alleged perpetrators received more support than victims. Now, Andrew Graystone, an advocate for survivors of abuse, has written an essay in which he suggests the church is still failing survivors of abuse. We hear his views and a response from Bishop Julie Conalty, who has recently been appointed as the deputy lead Bishop on safeguarding issues. Presenter: Edward Stourton Producers: Jonathan Hallewell and Julia Paul.

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 Rabbi Hannah Kingston and Muslim, Julie Siddiqui, who is an interfaith campaigner.Holy scriptures have been rescued from the Sikh temple in Odessa, Ukraine to keep them safe from possible Russian attacks. They were removed from the city's Gurdwara and brought to the UK, where they will be temporarily displayed in the National Sikh Museum, in Derby. Simran Singh Stuelpnagel tells William Crawley about his journey across Europe, and his mission to safeguard the scriptures.Producers: Rahila Bano and Jonathan Hallewell Presenter: William Crawley Editor: Tim Pemberton