Faith leaders including the Archbishop of Canterbury and Cardinal Vincent Nichols have welcomed a new report which calls for better support for asylum seekers. It comes from a commission set up to consider how refugees might be helped to integrate into society more easily. It makes a series of recommendations and suggests that the current system creates barriers to asylum seekers who want to quickly make good use of their existing skills and qualifications. The government says it's committed to ensuring refugees can take positive steps towards integration as they rebuild their lives in the UK.
It's 300 years since J S Bach's setting of the Passion narrative from St John's gospel was first performed on Good Friday at the St Nicholas Church in Leipzig. This week many of the UK's cathedrals and churches will be marking the anniversary by performing it. The composer, conductor and singer, Bob Chilcott celebrates the work and reflects on what is one of the most revered of all musical settings of the Passion.
Does religious education at school help young people when they get a job? Lord Karan Bilimoria, a former president of the CBI, thinks it can. He believes RE helps young people to navigate the complexity of modern belief and the diversity of worldviews in the UK today. The businessman, who is from the Zoroastrian tradition, has launched a campaign urging employers to support higher standards in religious education. We hear from Lord Bilimoria, and also from the National Secular Society who feel there are better ways to equip young people for the workforce.
Presenter: Edward Stourton Producers: Jonathan Hallewell and Alexa Good Editor: Dan Tierney
Christians in Bethlehem; New Archbishop of York; Catholic Abuse law change
Two Popes, A Green Christmas, and God and the Election
Bikram Yoga Film; Eco Mosque and Megan Phelps-Roper
First Sunday in Advent; Climate Change; Faith and Policing
Rose Hudson-Wilkin; Anti-Semitism and Non-Religious Assemblies
Church Loan Scandal, Religious Vote, Ebola Bishop
Remembrance Sunday, The President's Pastor, Cardinal Nichols
Sentamu, Rebel Monk, IICSA
Uluru; Einstein; Amazon Synod
Westminster Abbey, Gay Sikhs and Gandhi Statue
Canonisation of Cardinal Newman
Witch Map; LGBT+ Mass; Chibok Girls
Handel's Brockes Passion; Unparliamentary language; Religious education
Gender Neutral Babies, Rahmen Chisti, Persecuted Christians
Gun-carrying Pastor, Crowdfunding Ethics, William Blake's beliefs
Should you break a promise, Sacred trees, The legacy of Mugabe
Amazon indigenous tribes, Bishops' Brexit letter, Sogyal Rinpoche
Religion and Music
Legal loopholes, Christian Liberty, conflict resolution and World Humanitarian Day
Sister Helen Prejean, Brexit and the Border, Hong Kong Protests
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Global News Podcast
The Infinite Monkey Cage
Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4
You’re Dead to Me
Elis James and John Robins