Sunday

There have been many tributes this week to our dear colleague Edward Stourton, who died last weekend at the age of 68. They've come from across the media, from the churches and faith communities he covered for so long, and from listeners who simply trusted his voice on a Sunday morning. William Crawley looks back at his extraordinary contribution to religious broadcasting.
Also in the programme, Andy Burnham's first visit as prime minister was to a Catholic run homeless shelter in London called the Passage. He made his first pledge as PM to end rough sleeping. People familiar with his work as mayor of Greater Manchester will know it's a promise he made when he was elected in 2017. Emily Buchanan visits a project set up by a Christian charity in the city to hear about his track record there and his ambition for the country.
Every day, dozens of Palestinian patients from the occupied West Bank cross into Israel for desperately needed specialised medical care they can’t get at home. Waiting to drive them to hospital are Israeli volunteers who have increased in number since the October 7th attacks in 2023. Since the war started, it’s become an increasingly rare space for Israelis and Palestinians to speak and build trust. A meeting of two worlds amid the trauma of war. Naomi Scherbel-Ball has been joining the patients and volunteers for the journeys from the checkpoints to hospitals in Israel.
Presenter: Emily Buchanan
Producers: Katy Booth, Rosie Dawson, Catherine Murray, Dan Tierney and Carmel Lonergan
Studio Managers: Lynsey Akehurst and Catherine Everatt
Editor: Tim Pemberton

As Andy Burnham prepares to become the UK's new Prime Minister we look at how his Catholic upbringing shaped the values behind his politics. William Crawley discusses the interplay of faith and politics with Nick Spencer, senior fellow with the think tank Theos, and Francis Davis, visiting fellow Kellogg college, Oxford, who has written widely on Catholic social teaching and the role of faith in public policy.
Artificial intelligence is quietly finding its way into church life. But is it always clear when a prayer, a sermon or a piece of pastoral advice has been shaped by a machine? The AI Christian Partnership want churches to be upfront about it, and they've just published new guidelines.
Plus, it's World Cup final day, and this year's showdown carries an extra layer of meaning for people of faith. Argentina and Spain don't just share a footballing rivalry, they also share the Virgin Mary, in different guises. What does this tell us about faith and national identity?
Presenter: William Crawley
Producers: James Graham and Rosie Dawson
Studio Managers: Lynsey Akehurst, Patrick Shaw and Helen Williams
Editor: Catherine Murray

This week marks 90 years since the start of the Spanish Civil War.
In July 1936, a rebel general, Francisco Franco, led a military coup against Spain’s Republican government.
It triggered a conflict that tore the country apart, drew in fighters and writers from across the world and claimed half a million lives.
William Crawley explores how Spain remembers, and how it still argues about, its bloodiest modern chapter. 
And he'll ask why Pope Leo’s visit to the Sagrada Família last month passed over the war in silence. 
Presenter: William Crawley
Producer on location: Dan Tierney
Sound engineer on location: Ash Jones
Production Co-ordinator: Hattie Valentine
Studio producers: Catherine Murray & James Leesley
Editor: Chloe Walker
Studio Managers: Nat Stokes & Ben Houghton

As mourners gather in Iran to pay their respects to the country's former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, we hear from Tehran about the significance of the six-day funeral. His body is currently lying in state at the Grand Mosalla mosque and will travel to several religiously significant cities before a burial in his hometown of Mashhad. Authorities expect 15-20 million people to attend the ceremonies across Iran and Iraq which take place more than four months after Khamenei was killed in US and Israeli strikes.
So called 'conversion therapy' is set to be criminalised under draft legislation put before Parliament. This is the practice where someone tries to change or suppress a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. Under the draft Conversion Practices Bill perpetrators of abusive practices could face up to five years in prison. We dissect the different views around the Bill, from an advocate who argues it will offer essential protection, to those who say it could criminalise preachers simply offering help and support.
And with all eyes on Mexico ahead of England's round of 16 tie against the country at the Azteca Stadium, we hear from the Metropolitan Cathedral in Mexico City which has allowed a statue of the Christ child to be dressed in the national team's shirt and put on the altar.
Presenter: Emily Buchanan
Producers: James Graham, Rebecca Kelly and Liberty Phelan
Studio Managers: Teifi James and Helen Williams
Editor: Dan Tierney

With the number of people known to have died following earthquakes in Venezuela rising, rescue teams are racing to find those who are still missing. Operations Manager of the Lutheran World Federation based in Caracas, Maria Caraballo, speaks about the work her organisation has been doing.
The United States of American will mark 250 years since its independence this week. The separation of Church and State - religious freedom - came a few years later in the 1st amendment to the constitution and has been debated ever since. We continue that debate with Dr Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons of the Interfaith Alliance and Pastor Mark Burns, a spiritual adviser to President Trump.
Pilgrimages are tremendous social occasions, whatever their religious inspiration. The British Pilgrimage Trust says more of us are attracted to them and the Italian government is now promoting five pilgrim routes, known as the Antichi Cammini d'Italia, or Ancient Ways of Italy. People who have completed their journey tell us about their experiences.
Presenter: Edward Stourton
Producers: Katy Booth and James Leesley
Studio Managers: Kelly Young, Matthew Dempsey and George Willis
Editor: Tim Pemberton