As Israel intensifies its operations in the Gaza Strip, two of the most significant Christian leaders have declared their priests and nuns will not leave their congregations in Gaza City. The Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox patriarchs of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzabella and Theophilos III, have described the forced relocation of the city’s residents as akin to a “death sentence”. Professor BENJAMIN ISAKHAN of Deakin University researches the plight of religious minorities in the region.

Just how liberal do you have to be to be thrown out of the very permissive Episcopal Church in the United States? That’s what’s happened to one minister, whose name is Hunt Priest. He’s been defrocked for dabbling in psychedelic drugs. The church says he crossed the line by advocating the illegal use of drugs. KATHRYN POST of the Religion News Service has been following the story.

For many, stargazing means swooning over the latest song, tweet, or Instagram post from Taylor Swift. But for Jesuit brother GUY CONSOLMAGNO, it’s – almost – a search for the heavens. He’s about to finish a ten-year term as director of the Vatican Observatory. Br Guy, who has science degrees from Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is the Pope’s astronomer.

GUESTS:

Benjamin Isakhan is Australian Research Council Future Fellow in the Alfred Deakin Institute and Professor of International Politics in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Deakin University
Kathryn Post is a journalist from the Religious News Service who wrote a piece on Hunt Priest
Brother Guy Consolmagno is an American research astronomer, physicist, religious brother, director of the Vatican Observatory

Patriarchs say forced relocation of Christians in Gaza a "death sentence"