First Millennial Saint; Mystery of Musa al-Sadr and Archbishop of Canterbury 'Frontrunners'
Pope Leo will preside over a service of canonisation for the first time today. The ceremony also stands out because of the age of one of those being made a saint; Carlo Acutis, who was British born, was just 15 when he died of leukaemia. We discuss the significance of soon-to-be Saint Carlo Acutis with BBC’s Religion Editor Aleem Maqbool. Musa al-Sadr was a hugely influential Lebanese-Iranian Shia cleric. He disappeared on a visit to Libya in 1978, and although there have been persistent rumours that he was killed by the Gaddafi regime, no one has been able to say for sure what happened to him. A new BBC Eye documentary called ‘The Mystery of Musa al-Sadr’ may have the answer. We speak to the programme’s producer and reporter, Moe Shreif. It has been a long wait - for eight months there has been no archbishop of Canterbury. We are now being told that we will know the name of the next leader of the Church of England and indeed the worldwide Anglican communion by the end of September or early in October. The process of choosing him - or, perhaps, for the first time, her - takes place behind closed doors, but we asked Madeleine Davies of the Church Times to take us through the most-talked about candidates. Presenter: Edward Stourton
Producers: Katy Davis & Linda Walker
Production Coordinator: Kim Agostino
Studio Managers: Olivia Miceli & Mike Smith
Editor: Dan Tierney
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School shooting; Rediscovered monastic music; Bishop of Oxford on migration
William Crawley examines the place of prayer in the aftermath of the school shooting that left two children dead and many injured. It comes as the Mayor of Minneapolis spoke out about the need for action rather than 'thoughts and prayers'. He hears about the threat to the future of theology courses at undergraduate level and asks if you put a theology degree to good use? Dame Jasvinder Sanghera and Yasmin Javed, whose daughter was murdered by her husband, discuss the importance of the government's new definition of honour-based crime. We hear the long-lost music of Buckland Abbey, discovered in a 500 year old book and brought back to life by a choir in 2025.The Bishop of Oxford has written an open letter to Nigel Farage after the leader of Reform announced his vision to crackdown on small boat crossings. Steven Croft is in discussion with Tim Montgomerie, activist and member of Reform about whether Christian values and migration measures are in tension.Presenter: Williams Crawley
Producers: Catherine Murray & Bara'atu Ibrahim
Production Coordinator: Paul Holloway
Studio Managers: Adam Dolan & Nat Stokes
Editor: Tim Pemberton
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Russia-Ukraine; Saving the Shrimps; the pilgrim cellist
As the meeting between Presidents Trump and Putin fail to produce a ceasefire in Ukraine, we talk to Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski about the response of displaced Ukrainians in the UK.The Daily Telegraph Defence Editor says it is becoming too dangerous to report in certain parts of the world and explains why St Bride’s, the journalist’s church in Fleet Street, has become a sanctuary for her.This week Gary Grant, the founder of the UK’s biggest toy shop, announced he was handing over its ownership to its 1900 members of staff. We ask him why.Former priest Kenneth Wilson talks to Julie Etchingham about his pilgrimage to play at 42 Anglican Cathedrals in England with his cello strapped to his customised bike.And have the Shrimps been saved? As the future of Morecombe FC lies in the balance, a prayer vigil is held to help save the club.Producers: Amanda Hancox and James Leesley
Studio Managers: Nathaniel Danter, Georgia-Mae Browne, Sharon Hughes
Production Co-Ordinator: Liz Poole
Editor: Tim Pemberton
It's Ukraine's independence day, a state holiday begun after the break with the old Soviet Union in 1991. Churches across the world have been invited to join a global prayer chain to call for peace. We are joined by Nadiyka Gerbish, a writer and podcaster living in Ternopil in Western Ukraine, and part of the Calvary Chapel Church. The Mezquita, or Great Mosque in the Spanish city of Cordoba is a unique jewel of both Islamic and Christian architecture. Just over two weeks ago we were getting news of a fire there and we immediately wondered if this was, like Notre Dame Cathedral in 2019, going to be another national disaster. Luckily the fire didn't spread, but still there's a major restoration job underway. Guy Hedgecoe reports for us from southern Spain.For two Church of England priests the command to 'take up your cross', became 'take up your paddle'. The Reverend Christina Rees and the Reverend Patrick Forbes decided to kayak down the Great Ouse - an 85 mile journey - to raise money for charity. While Cambodia has been in the news for escalating tensions with Thailand, today we’re bringing you a story of reconciliation. Since 2014, Hindu and Buddhist masterpieces housed in museums and private collections in the West, have been slowly returning Cambodia. Just last summer, 22 were welcomed back. The artefacts were looted from temples during the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime in the late 1970s, and its turbulent aftermath. We hear from investigators, and former looters, who are now working together to bring the sacred statues back to Cambodia. Producers: Katy Davis and Linda Walker
Presenter: Emily Buchanan
Editor: Chloe Walker
Studio Managers: George Willis and Georgia-Mae Browne
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The role of AI in faith and spirituality; Haredi draft row in Israel
BBC Director Ellena Wood talks about her documentary and podcast 'Inside the Cult of Jesus Army' which examines the puritanical sect founded by Noel Stanton and tells how former members are coming to terms with the damage it inflicted on their lives. Stand-up David Rose takes his show: 'Our Hebrew Friend' to the Edinburgh Fringe. It tackles the complicated legacy of his great grandfather, a music hall entertainer who found fame by playing up to anti-semitic stereotypes. Our reporter Rosie Dawson is in Lancashire where vicars and imams are building bridges on the cricket pitch.Is there a role for AI chatbots when it comes to faith and spirituality? Emily Buchanan explores whether they could help with prayer and guidance, hears from Paul Powers who developed a GPT Jesus and looks at the ethics behind using artificial intelligence in religion with Dr Scott Midson - Lecturer in Digital Theology, at Manchester University - and Dr Alba Curry - Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Leeds.Correspondent Jon Donnison is in Jerusalem where a date of Oct 7th has been set for residents to leave Gaza City after a controversial Israeli government plan to take control of the area. Emily hears about the row over Haredi conscription in Israel which has caused some Ultra-Orthodox leaders to declare war on the governmentPRODUCERS : CATHERINE MURRAY & LINDA WALKER
STUDIO MANAGERS: MIKE SMITH & ETHAN CONNOLLY-FORSTER
PRODUCTION CO-ORDINATOR: LIZ POOLE
EDITOR: CHLOE WALKER
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