Sunday

Can an arranged marriage be modern? How much of a say do the daughters and sons have? After 10 years of research, Raksha Pande from Newcastle University has discovered two new types of arranged marriage, distinct from those of previous generations. William Crawley explores a range of views and experiences among young British Asians. In 2008, the former professional footballer and Match of the Day pundit Gavin Peacock gave up a thriving media career to become a church minister in Canada. It was the culmination of a faith journey that began in the 1990s as player for QPR, Newcastle and Chelsea. He tells his story in his new autobiography, ‘A Greater Glory: From Pitch To Pulpit’.Thousands of school children across the country will be taking part in what is hoped to be a record for the greatest number of people participating in a simultaneous fitness workout. The ‘Body and Soul’ charity project, organised by the Reverend Steve Chalke and fitness instructor ‘Mr Motivator’ aims to encourage a reconnection of our physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing as we emerge from the pandemic.We would love to hear your experiences of where physical activity meets spirituality. How do you connect body and soul? You can contact us on Twitter: @BBCR4Sunday, or email: sunday@bbc.co.uk.Producers: Dan Tierney and David Cook Editor: Tim Pemberton.

Pilgrimages are having a moment, with new paths in Scotland, around Durham and between the Cathedrals of England. The famous international ways from Camino de Santiago and Via Francigena have risen massively in popularity too, stalled only by the pandemic. We'll hear the highs and lows of our listeners' pilgrim tales and discuss the attraction with travel writer Sarah Baxter. Just what is it about walking for days on end that works for people and do you have to be religious to benefit?This week Northern Ireland marks the centenary of the state’s foundation after the partition of Ireland. The anniversary comes just weeks after renewed sectarian tensions. After the recent violence, the Irish President Michael D Higgins said education separated along Catholic and Protestant lines can no longer be justified - 93% of schoolchildren in Northern Ireland are separated by faith. We'll be talking to the headteacher and a parent from a school that will be one of the first to teach protestant and catholic children side by side, starting in September. And Emily will discuss what is holding Northern Ireland from ending segregated schooling with Baroness May Blood and the Catholic Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown.And Emily finds out how the genteel town of Bath, often described as something straight out of a Jane Austen novel, reacted when the Emperor of Ethiopia came to live amongst them in the 1930s. Bath is beginning a six month festival celebrating the man who was not alone an emperor, but leader of the Ethiopian Orthodox church and to some members of the Rastafari movement, is considered the returned Messiah of the Bible. Emily talks to academic and film maker Dr Shawn Sobers about the warm welcome he got in Bath in spite of the conservatism of the time.

On Friday, President Biden will mark his first 100 days in office. Each day he has received a letter written by a religious scholar about a pressing issue of the day. William is joined by the founder of '100 Days, 100 Letters' Rabbi Andrea Weiss. The issue of racism has become a common theme over the early days of this presidency and in the week of the conviction of the former policeman Derek Chauvin for the killing of George Floyd Andrea shares some of the letters that explore the divisons and rifts many Americans are trying to resolve. Also we hear from Patrick Ngwolo the lead pastor at Resurrection Houston who knew George Floyd as a friend.The long awaited report from the Church of England's Archbishops' Anti-Racism Taskforce was released this week. It aims to bring about 'a change of culture in the life of the church.' But does it go far enough and what is being done differently to ensure the recommendations are acted on? We hear from a former race advisor to the church and two members of the taskforce, Rev Sonia Barron, Co-chair of the taskforce and the Ven Neil Warwick, Archdeacon of Bristol.The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby tells Sunday how he intends to ensure that there is meaningful change throughout the church to address racism.And relax with Spring sounds and spiritual uplift as we walk the new Northern Saints Trails with Reverend Eileen Harrop and trail creator David Pott. They’ll take the slow route in the footsteps of Cuthbert, Hilda, Oswald and Bede - part of a revival of the time-honoured tradition of pilgrimage. We would love to hear your stories of pilgrimage - where did you go and what did you learn on the road? You can contact us at sunday@bbc.co.ukProducers: David Cook and Alistair Kleebauer

Are you feeling stressed by the pandemic? You could try Sufi meditation to music. Sufism is a form of Islamic mysticism that emphasises introspection and spiritual connection but the meditation can work whether you are of other faiths, or none. When the pandemic began the Sufi music group Zendeh Delan decided to create Sufi-inspired music to aid meditation and broaden its appeal. The result is an album fusing Persian with western orchestral instruments and it is now being used in hospitals and clinics. We talk to musician Omid Asgari about what he calls "the music of the soul" and to clinical psychologist Dr Saloumeh Bozorgzadeh about how she uses it in her practice. As the United States mourns the victims of the shooting at Indianapolis, Emily talks to Jennifer Hubbard, mother of six year old Catherine, who was one of twenty children and six adult staff members who died in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in December 2012. It is one of the deadliest mass shootings in US history. Jennifer tells Emily how the tragedy threatened but then strengthened her faith as she put her energy into founding a sanctuary in her animal-mad daughters' name.And as the Church of England prepares to publish a much anticipated action plan to tackle racism this week we'll discuss what needs to be done now. It is not simply a matter of atoning for the past or removing old statues or symbols - this week too the BBC's Clive Myrie investigates contemporary allegations of discrimination in the Church for Panorama. The Archbishop of Canterbury has already backed plans for more black clergy and said the Church should rethink its depiction of Jesus as white. Will this be enough?Picture credit: MTO Shahmaghsoudi - School of Islamic Sufism

Following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh, William Crawley looks back on his life and reflects on his faith with Bishop Graham James, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, historian Coryne Hall and the writer Martin Palmer.Also in the programme, as violence returns to the streets of Northern Ireland, how significant is this moment and do religious leaders have any influence on events? With the Catholic Bishop Noel Treanor, and the Presbyterian Moderator, Dr David Bruce.And the musicologist Michael Spitzer, author of the new book 'The Musical Human: A History of Life on Earth', explores how music was fundamental to our evolution and its relationship to religious and spiritual beliefs across the world and across time.Producers: Dan Tierney and Rosie Dawson.

The singer and musician Harry Connick Junior is a Grammy and Emmy winning star. He's sold more than 28 million records worldwide and is in constant demand for concerts internationally. So when Covid struck, he found himself with time on his hands. The result is a new album Alone with My Faith.Last December, the Conservative MP Fiona Bruce was appointed the Prime Minister's Global Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief. In her first broadcast interview since being appointed, she tells William her priorities for the job.The actor Sir David Suchet has played many roles from Poirot to Dr Who. His latest performance goes live on Easter Sunday when he reads the whole of St John’s Gospel from Westminster Abbey. The world premiere - as it has been billed - will be released on the Abbey’s website at 4pm on Easter Sunday.Producers: Carmel Lonergan Olive ClancyEditor: Tim PembertonPhoto Credit: Georgia Connick

The English National Opera and BBC Two are going ahead with a full rendition of Handel's Messiah over Easter. The soprano Nadine Benjamin and the conductor Laurence Cummings tell Emily Buchanan why this socially distanced performance means so much to them.After a tense week in which a Batley school used an "inappropriate" image of the Prophet Mohammed, we discuss how you strike the balance between teaching controversial subjects and promoting respect and tolerance. Emily Buchanan is joined by teacher and campaigner Ayesha Ali-Khan and Andrew Copson, Chief executive of Humanists UK.And the Sikh Women's Action Network, which helps Sikh survivors of domestic abuse, says calls during lockdown more than doubled. Emily Buchanan hears one survivor's story and talks to the co-founder and Executive Director of SWAN Sahdaish Pall about what they are doing to help.

I've Forgotten Now Who I Used To Be is an album from Ghana's so called Witch Camps. The Italian-Rwandan film maker Marilena Delli Umuhoza and the Grammy award winning producer Ian Brennan recorded music made by women accused of witchcraft and ostracised. Most are guilty of nothing more than being older, destitute or of having disabilities. The couple specialise in documenting the music of the marginalised from prisoners in Malawi to genocide survivors in Rwanda. It is, they say, the music of pure emotion - join us to hear it and how it was made.The right to protest should be on an equal footing with the right to communal worship under lockdown rules. That's the view of the Joint Committee on Human Rights this week, and they've called on the Government to take urgent action accordingly. Is protest really as sacred as worship? And if so where do we draw the line on what is acceptable behaviour in the name of a cause we truly believe in? William Crawley discusses the ethics of protest with two women of faith and finds out just how far they would go for their cause. Pope Francis has just approved a Vatican ruling that catholic priests cannot bless same-sex couples. The statement, from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said that any such blessings are invalid in the eyes of the church. It has confused LGBT+ Catholics who tell the programme they are disappointed Pope Francis would endorse this when he has said he supports civil rights for gay partners. Is Pope Francis a reformer after all? William discusses this with the papal historian John Cornwell, the author of a new book about Pope Francis - Church: Interrupted. Producers: Olive Clancy Carmel Lonergan

In this episode of Sunday we hear the little known Jewish history of one of the most influential protest songs of the 20th century 'Strange Fruit' and how it came to be performed by Billie Holiday, which is the subject of the film 'The United States vs Billie Holiday' currently streaming on Sky Cinema. Former prison inmate now prison chaplain, Jonathan Aitken takes us inside HMP Pentonville, as he describes a year of prison chaplaincy during the pandemic which he says has led to some ground-breaking and long overdue reforms. ‘If you’re not religious, say so!’ – that is the request of a campaign launched this week by Humanists UK. They want people who are "not in any meaningful sense religious to tick the ‘no religion’ option on the 2021 Census". Ed Stourton is joined by the Chief Executive of Humanists UK, Andrew Copson, and also Nick Spencer of religion and society think tank Theos to discuss the Census, religion and the none-religious.Producers:Catherine Earlam Louise Clarke-Rowbotham

Sister Norma Pimentel is one of the most important advocates for immigrants in the United States. For over three decades, she has been working to support migrants seeking refuge in the U.S. along Texas border with Mexico and as Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, she directs efforts to provide shelter, food, sanctuary and comfort to people often treated as less than human. Last year she made Time magazine's list of the100 most influential people and her work has earned her the moniker of “the Pope’s favourite nun.”It is estimated that 71% of victims of modern day slavery are women and girls. For the past six years, former police officer Karen Anstiss has been running Caritas Bakhita House - a place of safety for women escaping human trafficking which is supported by the Catholic Church. Karen talks about her work and how we can help the victims of modern day slavery.On 3rd January this year, Rear Admiral Margaret Grun Kibben became the first female chaplain to the US House of Representatives. Three days later, an angry mob stormed the Capitol building and the 60 year old Presbyterian Minister found herself on the frontline. It's a place she's been before as she's seen active service in Afghanistan so, as she explains to Emily, she went into "a sort of spiritual cover" in a way that she would in a war zone.And, 17 year old award winning poet Aminah Rahman performs her poem 'Changing the Future' - written especially to celebrate International Women's Day. Producers: Helen Lee Olive Clancy