Sunday

Syria is facing perhaps its gravest crisis since the fall of the Assad regime last December. It began with sectarian clashes between Druze and Bedouins in the southern province of Sweida. Hundreds of people are reported to have been killed since sectarian clashes between Druze militias and Bedouin tribes erupted in the province on Sunday. The Druze religion is an offshoot of Shia Islam with its own unique identity and beliefs. In addition to Syria, there are sizeable communities of Druze in Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and the occupied Golan Heights. Edward Stourton speaks to Dr Omar Imady, Senior Fellow, Centre for Syrian studies.Roman Catholic Cardinal Pizzaballa and the Patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem have been visiting the Christian communities in Gaza and delivering 500 tons of aid after the Church of the Holy Family was hit by an Israeli Strike. Two women aged 84 and 69 were killed along with the 60-year-old janitor of the church. Nine others were injured including the parish priest Fr Gabriel Romanelli. The office of the Israeli PM issued a statement saying it regrets that stray munition hit the church and that it is committed to protecting civilians and holy sites. Sunday hears from Anton Asfar of the Catholic relief agency Caritas - he's based in Bethlehem but works closely with the Holy Family parish as well as Cardinal Vincent Nichols.One hundred years ago, the trial of John T Scopes began, where a US high school teacher was charged by the state of Tennessee for teaching the theories of evolution. Nick Spencer, is senior fellow at the Christian think tank Theos. He joined the commemorative events, and, speaking from Dayton Tennessee, he told Edward Stourton why the trial attracted so much attention.Presenter: Edward Stourton Producers: Bara'atu Ibrahim & Catherine Murray Production Coordinator: Liz Poole Studio Managers: Jack Morris & Olivia Miceli Editor: Tim Pemberton

As the Church of England prepares parishes to be a ‘church in a time of conflict’, we hear from the Bishop to the Armed Forces, the Rt Rev Hugh Nelson, as the Church’s governing body – General Synod – meet in York. We consider the conflicts within the Church that will be debated at Synod - and discuss how members are set to scrutinise the Redress scheme, intended to support victims of abuse within the Church. 2025 marks 50 years since Jackie Tabick became the first female Progressive Rabbi ordained in the UK. Many women have followed in Rabbi Tabick’s footsteps, including Rabbi Kulikovsky and Rabbi Altorf who were ordained at special event last week at the Leo Baeck College in London. We hear from them about their roles - and look at what's changed in those 50 years.This summer, the BBC are covering a whole host of women's games as part of their 'Names Will Be Made' summer of sport. But what role does religion play for athletes on and off the pitch? Producer Katy Davis speaks to three women of faith at the top of their game: England Netballer Ellie Rattu; UEFA coach Yasmin Hussein and Wales Rugby Player Sisi Tuipulotu. For more behind the scenes interviews and updates, head to the BBC Women's Summer of Sport website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/womens-summer-of-sportFriday 11th of July was a 30 year memorial service to mark the Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia, where over 8,000 Bosniak Muslim boys and men were killed by Serb forces, during the 1995 genocide in Srebrenica - in one of Europe's worst atrocities since World War 2. Julie Etchingham hears from award winning photojournalist Alixandra Fazzina, who has returned to Bosnia 30 years after the war. We also hear from Islamic Relief's Shahin Ashraf, one of the few charity organisations who provided support during the war and are still today, helping Bosniaks rebuild their lives in Srebrenica.Presenter: Julie Etchingham Producers: Katy Davis and James Leesley Studio Managers: George Willis and Sam Mills Editor: Chloe Walker

Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has confirmed that he will have a successor after his death, ending years of uncertainty - but China has other ideas. Hundreds of followers gathered to hear the long-awaited announcement in the Indian town of Dharamshala where the Dalai Lama lives. The leader of Tibetan Buddhism also celebrates his 90th birthday this Sunday. Sunday hears from BBC correspondent Samira Hussein, and explores the Dalai Lama's message further with Ms. Lhagyari Namgyal Dolkar, a Tibetan MP from the Tibetan Parliament in Exile. How does a politician of faith balance their religious beliefs with the responsibilities to their party, and to their constituents? This week, Evangelical Christian Rachel Maskell MP successfully lead a backbench rebellion against Keir Starmer’s welfare reforms. The defeat has had ongoing consequences since then, with commentators asking if the defeat has put Prime Minister’s credibility at risk. Protests in Turkey as newspaper staff are arrested for publishing a cartoon alleged to be of the Prophet Mohammad and Moses shaking hands over a bombed out city. Editor in Chief of LeMan satirical magazine says the cartoon has been intentionally misinterpreted. Emily Buchanan explores how modern Turkey- created as a secular state - seems to have changed over time, and how blurred the lines have now become separating state and faith?Presenter: Emily Buchanan Producers: Bara'atu Ibrahim & Rosie Dawson Studio Managers: Nick Woodsford & Sharon Hughes Editor: Tim Pemberton

The Church of England is facing serious criticism from a stalking victim for failing to keep him safe. The victim was a male volunteer church warden, the stalker a woman lay preacher. He says he reported what was happening to the Church authorities - including Martyn Snow, the Bishop of Leicester. Ed Stourton is joined by the BBC's Religion Editor, Aleem Maqbool, who has helped uncover this story. The American Pew foundation has just published the results of one of its most ambitious projects - plotting How the Global Religious Landscape has changed over the past decade. They sifted through some 2,700 new sources of data - for the results we spoke to the lead author, Conrad Hackett.It’s Glastonbury weekend and we’re exploring faith on the farm. We hear from Chris North at the festival’s church tent where he’s planning Sunday’s service.Presenter: Edward Stourton Producers: Katy Davis and James Leesley Studio Managers: George Willis and Sam Mills Editor: Dan Tierney

The US has bombed three major nuclear sites in Iran, bringing the country directly into the Israel-Iran conflict. Iran's Foreign minister has described the US strikes as "outrageous" and says Iran is reserving "all options to defend its sovereignty". We get an update from our correspondent in Jerusalem and discuss if an argument can be made from religiously-based ethics, for Israel’s actions? Israel contends that its attack on Iran is legal under international law because it represented a form of pre-emptive self-defence. William Crawley speaks to Emad Kiyaei, director at the Middle East Treaty Organization (METO), and co-author of Middle East Weapons of Mass Destruction: A new approach to non-proliferation; and Dr Ezra Tzfadya, Senior Fellow at the Centre for Middle East Studies at Indiana University-Bloomington, where he convenes the US Department of Education sponsored "Shia Islamic and Jewish Legal Reasoning in Dialogue" project. MPs have voted to accept the Assisted Dying Bill which will allow a terminally ill person to legally end their life through medical means. The Catholic Church in England and Wales says it doesn't see how its many care homes and hospices can continue to operate with no exemption from the law. Archbishop John Sherrington of Liverpool, the Lead Bishop for Life Issues for the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, and Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain, who chairs Religious Alliance for Dignity in Dying look forward to what the passage of the bill will mean. Do you mark the summer solstice? This weekend thousands of people are enjoying sunrise events, which signify the end of spring and the moment when the sun reaches its zenith. But for pagans it's more than just a party – the solstices are a spiritual part of their belief in the wheel of the year. We hear from a wicca witch and a druid, about why the summer solstice is so important. *** We apologise for an error made in the introduction of the drought piece on this programme; please find an amendment to the wording of the introduction *** Insurance pay-outs have been paid to regions facing tough growing conditions, with the most recent being £6 million to the World Food Programme in Syria. Naomi Wellings hears how the Christian development charity, Tearfund is making a difference - following advance insurance pay-outs - to farmers otherwise faced with crippling drought.Presenter: William Crawley Producers: Bara'atu Ibrahim & Julia Paul Studio Managers: Amy Brennan & Joe Stickler Editor: Tim Pemberton

The horrific plane crash in Gujarat sent shockwaves through the UK’s Hindu community — many of whom have close ties to that region of India. The day after the tragedy, Emily Buchanan visited the vast Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, North West London, to speak with Tarun Patel, a spokesperson for the temple, and Tilak Parek, a scholar of religion and anthropology.We also hear from the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent, Lyse Doucet, on the latest developments in the Israel-Iran conflict.And it’s not every day that a kung fu master becomes a modern-day influencer. But with the publication of his book Shaolin Spirit: The Way to Self-Mastery in English, Shi Heng Yi — founder of the Shaolin Temple Europe — is reaching new audiences. His TED Talks have inspired millions to explore martial arts as well as daily practices for mind and body.Presenter: Emily Buchanan Producers: Katy Davis & Rosie Dawson Studio Managers: Simon Kelsey, George Willis & Joe Stickler Editor: Rajeev Gupta

William Crawley talks to Cardinal Vincent Nichols ahead of the inaugural mass of Pope Leo XIV and hears from correspondent Bethany Bell in Rome. He hears what is causing a delay in appointing the new Archbishop of Canterbury. There's news of an historic vote to merge Liberal and Reform Judaism. And as talks get underway for a ceasefire in Gaza, we hear from Fr Gabriel Romanelli from the only Catholic parish in the strip.

A look at the ethical and religious issues of the week with Edward Stourton.

With the conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine top on the news agenda, it may be easy to miss ongoing war in Sudan. The medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has this week highlighted the extensive use of sexual violence against women and girls - some of them very young indeed - in the Darfur region. We hear testimonies from survivors and Edward Stourton speaks to Ruth Kauffman, the MSF Medical Emergency Manager for Sudan and by Dr Harun Issack Muslim Aids Country Director for Sudan. The King? A healer? An American shaman? We explore Elvis’ little known fascination with the occult, spirituality and a quest for higher consciousness with Miguel Connor, author of ‘The Occult Elvis: The Mystical and Magical Life of the King.’It's been a busy week for the new Catholic Archbishop of Liverpool. Installed on Tuesday, his first mass was overshadowed by violence at the victory parade in the city which saw 79 people injured by a car driven into the crowd at high speed. And now, John Sherrington has another job on his hands: deciding the future of an historic church in Lancashire, one with links to the martyr St Edmund Arrowsmith, executed for his faith in 1628. Parishioners like Bren Cook at Brindle St Joseph's were shocked to hear their building would be closed and the congregation dispersed to neighbouring churches after their priest was recalled to Ampleforth Abbey in North Yorkshire- the Sunday programme also hears from Liam Kelly the company secretary of the trust.Presenter: Edward Stourton Producers: Bara'atu Ibrahim & Linda Walker Studio Managers: Jack Morris & Chris Hardman Editor: Tim Pemberton

Humanitarian aid is now reaching Gaza, although the required levels remain a point of dispute between the Israeli Government and aid agencies. It comes in a week when human tragedies in Gaza and Washington continue to mount. Julie Etchingham examines the key questions in a seemingly intractable conflict.The Vatican has been thrust front and centre in attempts to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war. How realistic is it to hope that the papacy might achieve a breakthrough for peace where so many others have failed?And Ramblings presenter Clare Balding describes the experience of walking the iconic pilgrim route of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela (way of St James) and recommends 'pilgrimages' to others.PRESENTER - Julie Etchingham PRODUCERS - Bara'atu Ibrahim and Linda Walker PRODUCTION COORDINATOR - Kim Agostino STUDIO MANAGERS - Kelly Young and Sam Mills EDITOR - Tim Pemberton