Some of the Vatican’s secrets have been revealed in a new book, ”Secretum”, by Massimo Franco. It’s in the form of a series of conversations with Archbishop Sergio Pagano, who has worked in the Vatican archive for 45 years. From stories of Vatican intrigue to a letter written in 1530 by English nobles urging Pope Clement VII to grant Henry VIII an annulment so he could marry Anne Boleyn, Massimo Franco tells Edward about some of the gems in the Archive.
The Inter Faith Network (IFN) is to close after the government withdrew funding because one of its trustees is associated with the Muslim Council of Britain. Since 1987 the IFN has worked to promote understanding and good relations between people of different faiths. Edward talks to IFN’s executive director, Dr Harriet Crabtree and to Zara Mohammed, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain.
Increasingly AI is being used to help people maintain a form of relationship after death, to help preserve a legacy or experiences worth remembering. We hear from the AI version of the actor Ed Asner who died in 2021, from Stephen Smith, CEO of StoryFile, who created it and from Dr Nathan Mladin from Theos whose latest report looks at the pros and cons of how AI is being used in the rapidly changing world of grief tech.
Producers: Amanda Hancox and James Leesley
Gaza Christians; Trump bible; Easter Island
Integrating refugees; St John Passion; the Value of Religious Education
Pope autobiography; Extremism definition; Sir James MacMillan
Ramadan in Gaza, Leaving Faith Helpline, Alternative Mothering Sunday
Gaza aid; Brit Awards; UK Islamophobia
Israel Gaza conflict; Rochdale Labour; Rave in the nave
Asylum Conversions, the Power of Prayer, 'Sexualised' Jesus
Asylum conversions, Jaz from Traitors on Sikhism, Siobhan McSweeney on St Brigid
C of E safeguarding concerns, Nicaragua Catholic Church crackdown, Jesus in pop music
Cathedral charging; Last Christians in Gaza; Muslim Comedian Ola Labib
The ethics of surrogacy
Does religion do more harm than good?
Tackling the rise in homelessness
Christmas in Bethlehem, 800th anniversary of the nativity scene, The stories behind our favourite carols
Israel-Gaza latest; C of E same sex blessings; the rights and wrongs of 'Surveillance Santa'
Gaza Christians; American Sikh; Ethics of War
Power of religion at Cop28; Shane McGowan's Catholicism; Near-death experiences
Same sex church blessings; Religion in Dr Who; Antonio Banderas on playing King Herod
Same Sex Blessings in the Church of England
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