14/12/2025

Should the confirmation of Bishop Sarah Mullaly as Archbishop of Canterbury be postponed whilst a complaint against her for the alleged mishandling of a sex abuse case is investigated? We talk to Donna Birrell, who broke the story and to Rev Robert Thompson, a priest in the London diocese.The mystery of the star of Bethlehem - has it been finally solved? NASA Planetary scientist Mark Matney discusses his theory that it could have been a comet recorded by Chinese astronomers in 5BC.If it wasn’t for Jane Austen’s brother her novels would never have been published. So claims Christopher Herbert, former Bishop of St Alban’s, whose new book “Jane Austen’s Favourite Brother: Henry” tells the story of their close relationship.“Put the Christ back in Christmas” was the title of the carol concert organised by Tommy Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom in central London yesterday. We hear from one of the organisers, Pastor Rikki Doolan, and from Nick Spencer, senior fellow at the Christian think tank Theos, who is studying the rise of Christian Nationalism in the UK.Presenter: William Crawley Producers: Amanda Hancox and Rosie Dawson Technical Producers: Sharon Hughes, Isabelle Whitehead & Amy Brennan Editor: Tim Pemberton

Amid the prospect of an imminent US strike on Venezuela, we look at how a once overwhelmingly Catholic country has seen its evangelical population surge from just 4% in the 1970s to nearly 30% today. This religious shift is unfolding as President Nicolás Maduro faces international rejection of his 2024 victory and mounting pressure from Donald Trump’s White House. William Crawley speaks to Dr Fernando Mora, an academic and former pastor who has spent years studying the rise of Evangelicalism in Venezuela.On the Second Sunday of Advent, we explore the season’s history. Advent calendars are just one of many traditions that have emerged – and evolved – over centuries in connection with this annual liturgical journey. To guide us through that story, the Sunday programme speaks to Dr Colin Donnelly, Associate Professor in Reformation and Early Modern Christianities at Oxford.Following the death of Sir Tom Stoppard at the age of 88, we look back at a writer celebrated for incisive wit, emotional depth, empathy and generosity, and for the technical brilliance with which he built imaginative worlds on stage. Stoppard only discovered his Jewish heritage at the age of 55, learning at the same time that all four of his grandparents, and much of his wider family, were murdered in Nazi concentration camps. To understand how that discovery shaped his life and work, we turn to one of his biographers, Ira Nadel, author of Double Act: The Life of Tom Stoppard.Correction: In the introduction to the last item in the programme, we mentioned the widely quoted figure of more than 7,000 Christians having been killed in Nigeria in 2025. The BBC independently added up the number of deaths from the 70 reports this year and has in fact found that the total was around 3,000 deaths.Presenter: William Crawley Producers: Bara'atu Ibrahim & Katy Booth Studio Managers: Lynsey Akehurst & Sam Biddle Editor: Rajeev Gupta

The Pope has been marking a historic Christian anniversary during his visit to Turkey - and on Sunday is heading to Lebanon, just days after Israeli airstrikes on its capital, Beirut. A key moment of the trip has been in the Turkish town of Iznik, the site of the ancient city of Nicaea. Pope Leo and leaders of other Christian traditions gathered to mark the anniversary of an ancient council that took place there 1,700 years ago. In 325 AD, among other key decisions, more than 200 bishops at the council affirmed the belief that Jesus was the son of God, eventually leading to what is known as the Nicene Creed. We hear the latest from his trip to the region.Islamophobic incidents at football grounds have reached record highs in recent years, according to the anti-racism charity Kick it Out. Now more Premier League clubs are introducing dedicated prayer rooms, with some hosting Iftar celebrations on the pitch. In September, Djed Spence also became the first Muslim player to represent the England men’s national team. In the latest sign of progress, this weekend the Chelsea Muslim Supporters faced the Manchester United Muslim Supporters in the first match of its kind.Following on from the Songs of Praise list of people's favourite school hymns, we hear about what the hymn writing process from Northern Irish composer, Keith Getty, who received a Grammy nomination for the contemporary hymn 'In Christ Alone'. And you share yours with us too.PRESENTER: WILLIAM CRAWLEY PRODUCERS: KATY BOOTH & JAMES LEESLEY STUDIO MANAGERS: CARWYN GRIFFITH, SAM BIDDLE & LYNSEY AKEHURST EDITOR: CHLOE WALKER

The Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that Northern Ireland's Christian-focused RE curriculum is unlawful. Since then, churches, politicians and schools there have been trying to make sense of the possible implications of that ruling, both for RE teaching and for the place of religion in schools more generally. Pope Leo has revealed his top four favourite films ahead of an event in the Vatican where he welcomed some Hollywood A-Listers: including Cate Blanchett, Viggo Mortensen and Monica Bellucci. Alissa Wilkinson, film critic at the New York Times, explores the Pope's passion for cinema. The UK's favourite school assembly hymn will be revealed today, as the winner of a public poll is announced on Songs of Praise, as part of The Big School Assembly Singalong. We speak to Becky Silver, songwriter of contemporary songs for schools and a former teacher, about the role of hymns in schools.Presenter: William Crawley. Producers: Katy Davies and Bara'atu Ibrahim.

Across China, unregistered house churches are facing growing pressure from the authorities as the Chinese Communist Party tightens control over religious life. The Chinese Communist Party says citizens enjoy freedom of religious belief in accordance with the law. We've a report from the BBC's Correspondent in Hong Kong, Danny Vincent. Spanish Dictator Francisco Franco died 50 years ago on the 20th of November. We explore the legacy of his system of National Catholicism and how a far right party is gaining popularity in the country today. A religious theme is finding its way into the music charts thanks to the latest album from Rosalia. The Spanish singer herself appears on the cover in the guise of a nun - part of a phenomenon which has now been defined as "nunmania". Sister Gemma Simmonds from the Congregation of Jesus gives her thoughts on the trend.PRESENTER: EDWARD STOURTON PRODUCERS: KATY BOOTH & KATY DAVIS STUDIO MANAGERS: AMY BRENNAN & BEN HOUGHTON EDITOR: CATHERINE MURRAY

It is Remembrance Sunday, and one of the First World War stories we often refer back to at this time of year is the Christmas truce between British and German soldiers. A story has now emerged of a World War Two truce during one of the bloodiest episodes of the conflict between the United States and Japan. Edward Stourton speaks to Professor Nick Megoran from Newcastle University who researched what happened.Metropolitan Hilarion was once one of the most powerful figures in the Russian Orthodox Church — effectively its foreign minister, as well as a theologian and composer. But in 2022 he was removed from office and sent to serve as the head of the Orthodox church in Hungary - there was widespread speculation he was being punished because he wouldn't endorse the invasion of Ukraine. Then last year he lost that job too, following allegations of spying, sexual misconduct, and financial abuse. He's now talked about all this in an exclusive interview with our correspondent in Budapest, Nick Thorpe. Despite a recent announcement by the RSF agreeing to a three-month humanitarian truce proposed by the Quad Mechanism (US, UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia), fighting continues, with explosions and drone attacks reported near Khartoum and Atbara. Sudan's military-led government said it would be wary of agreeing to a truce as the RSF group did not "respect" ceasefires. The Sunday programme hears the latest from BBC Correspondent Richard Kagoe, as well as the Archbishop of Sudan, Ezekiel Kondo, who has been in the UK this weekend.Presenter: Edward Stourton Producers: Bara'atu Ibrahim & Jay Behrouzi Editor: Dan Tierney

If you're one of the millions who've been gripped by The Celebrity Traitors, you'll be counting down the hours to the final on Thursday. The Sunday programme explores the ethical questions about taking part with Anglican Priest Reverend Lisa Coupland who appeared in the third 'civilian' series of the game. History could be made in New York City on Tuesday with the potential election of its first ever Muslim mayor. Zohran Mamdani's ascent to getting within touching distance of one of the most prominent positions in US politics has been astonishing. Not least in a city where a generation ago in the wake of 9/11, Islamophobia was an unwelcome fact of life. Mamdani has explicitly made his Muslim faith part of his political identity. We speak to former Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf - who was the first Muslim to lead a Western democracy and Professor Najam Haider, from the Department of Religion at Columbia University. With the enthronement of the new Archbishop of Canterbury set for the new year, there's already plenty of speculation over what sort of leader Dame Sarah Mullaly might be. One man who can offer a unique and personal insight is a descendant of none other than the Guinness family. If that wasn't seemingly random enough – Jack Guinness knows Dame Sarah Mullaly because she was - for a time in the early 80s - a babysitter for his family at a parish in London. Presenter: Julie Etchingham Producers: Katy Davis and Rosie Dawson Editor: Tim Pemberton Studio Managers: Phillip Halliwell and Nick Woodsford

King Charles and Pope Leo made history in the Sistine Chapel by praying side by side - a first for the leaders of the Church of England and Catholic Church. In this week's edition of our series on the study of religion, theologian Robert Beckford goes back to school to explore the teaching of RE at GCSE and A Level. Halloween may be on the minds of trick or treaters, however another festival is celebrated at this time of year - we explore Samhain that's observed by followers of Paganism.PRESENTER: EDWARD STOURTON PRODUCERS: KATY BOOTH & CATHERINE MURRAY STUDIO MANAGERS: JOE STICKLER & CHRIS WALKER EDITOR: CHLOE WALKER

A look at the ethical and religious issues of the week with Julie Etchingham.

It's a new dawn in Gaza as the ceasefire holds, we hear from the Catholic aid agency ready to send aid to Palestinians returning to where their homes once stood. Israeli families countdown to the release of the hostages they've longed for: we hear from those already released on why their Jewish faith deepened in captivity.Does Andy Burnham 'do God?' The Mayor of Greater Manchester says it is time for faith communities to help form a bedrock for a new vision of local government - and he credits Pope Francis with the idea of fostering a new culture of encounter.PRESENTER: JULIE ETCHINGHAM PRODUCERS: CATHERINE MURRAY & KATY BOOTH STUDIO MANAGERS: MIKE SMITH & ADAM DOLAN EDITOR: CHLOE WALKER