Ernie Rea and guests discuss Last Rites in some of the world's major faiths. The one reality of which everyone can be sure is that they will die. Most people say they want to die at home surrounded by their loved ones, but dying in hospital is the norm. Religious communities have traditional rituals around dying - do these transfer easily to a clinical setting? And what might the idea of Last Rites mean to those without a religious faith? Ernie is joined by Maryam Riaz, Muslim Chaplain with Bradford Teaching Hospitals, NHS Trust; the Rev Anne Edwards, Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care Manager at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust; and Christina Welch, Senior Lecturer in Theology and Religious Studies at Winchester University where she runs an MA course in Death, Religion and Culture.
Producer: Rosie Dawson.