Sunday

After a week of headlines that portrayed Pope Leo and President Trump pitted against each other, the pontiff says he regrets his remarks being interpreted as a debate. We hear from a journalist on the papal visit to Africa and Anna Rowlands, Professor at Durham University and a member of the Vatican department concerned with social teaching.
Buddhism with its tradition of meditation and compassion, is not a religion you might associate with violence. However, from Rohingya expulsions by Buddhist mobs in Myanmar, to Sri Lankan riots fuelled by Buddhist militants, religious nationalism can turn monks into political players. Sonia Faleiro has investigated this phenomenon for a book called The Robe and the Sword - how Buddhist Extremism is shaping modern Asia.
The peace deal between the US, Israel and Iran is holding for now but it is not clear when there will be a new round of face to face talks. With up to five million Christians living in the Gulf, we wanted to find out how they were coping with the war. We hear from Bishop Sean Semple, the Anglican Bishop of Cyprus and the Gulf and Davide Axtell who chairs the council of Bahrain Cathedral.
Presenter: Emily Buchanan
Producers: Katy Booth and Rosie Dawson
Studio Managers: Helen Williams, Chris Mather and Ben Cuthbertson
Editor: Catherine Murray

As talks between the United States and Iran get underway, Edward Stourton discusses the vivid use of religious language in the rhetoric surrounding the war in the Middle East with Dr Toby Matthiesen, Kamin Mohammadi and Dr Brian Klug.
Uzbekistan has decided to include Sharia banking in the country's financial system. It's said it will unlock a trillion dollars in foreign investment. Atty Arsalan Tariq, a lawyer who specialises in Islamic and conventional finance explains how this will work.
For many Lebanese the trauma of the current conflict with Israel stands out against the backdrop of Lebanon's long recent history of violence. For Toufic Diab, from Lebanon who lives in the UK, the icon of a Lebanese saint helps his faith and brings solace during this worrying time for his family back home.
For 75 years the Archers has graced the airwaves with the story of everyday country folk in the fictional village of Ambridge. Like the village pub, the church has been at the centre of village life. John Telfer, who plays the Rev Alan Franks and Nick Warbuton, a writer on the show, look back at the role religion has played in this long running drama.
Presenter: Edward Stourton
Producers: Amanda Hancox and Jay Behrouzi
Studio Managers: Tom Clarke and Nat Stokes
Editor: Tim Pemberton

Less than two weeks since her installation as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally is to give her first Easter sermon in the role. There is also controversy with the news that the King is not publishing an Easter message this year. Some point out that the King published a video message with greetings to Muslims during Ramadan, and wonder why the Supreme Governor of the Church of England is seemingly silent on the most important day in the Christian calendar.
At a White House Easter event on Wednesday, evangelical pastors compared Donald Trump’s political troubles and a failed assassination attempt to the experience of Jesus on the cross, calling him God’s chosen champion in a “spiritual" battle that included the Iran war. Pope Leo and others believe peace-making is not only necessary, but possible.
The crew of Artemis II are on their way to the moon, one of the personal items is a copy of the bible. Many astronauts have spoken of their experience of seeing the earth from deep space in spiritual terms, describing what has been described as an 'overview effect' - a sense of awe upon looking at Earth suspended in space.
Presenter: William Crawley
Producers: Katy Booth and James Leesley
Studio managers: Lynsey Akehurst and Catherine Everatt
Editor: Tim Pemberton

Sunday guides you through the religious and ethical issues of the week, including the news that a report claiming the number of young people attending church in England and Wales had skyrocketed, has now been retracted. It comes after the underlying data was found to be flawed. The Bible Society's "Quiet Revival" report had been widely reported on since its publication last year and became an accepted part of discourse among many Christians.
Sir James MacMillan’s new 70-minute, 12-piece choral oratorio "Angels Unawares" has received it's world premiere in the Sistine Chapel. It's a moving piece about angelic encounters set to poetry by the late Robert Willis, the former Dean of Canterbury who died in 2024. William speaks to Sir James about the historic performance and his connection to faith.
And as Christians around the world prepare for Palm Sunday, worshippers in Jerusalem are facing an unprecedented disruption to Holy Week, we explore the latest.
PRESENTER: William Crawley
PRODUCERS: Bara'atu Ibrahim and Linda Walker
EDITOR: Chloe Walker

Sunday guides you through the time-honoured rituals of the enthronement of an Archbishop of Canterbury - and how the service will break new ground with an anthem based on the words of 14th century female mystic Julian of Norwich, put to music by Joanna Marsh.
We will be hearing the stories of people in Iran as they mark Persian New Year and Eid in the midst of war.
And the story of a new film that brought the first Christian hymn from papyrus to the big screen.