The Religion and Ethics Report - Separate stories podcast

History was made this week in Westminster Cathedral in London. For the first time more than three centuries, a member of the British royal family had a Catholic funeral. Katharine, the Duchess of Kent, was married to Queen Elizabeth’s cousin. She died last week, aged 92. In 1994 , the Queen approved her decision to convert to Catholicism, making headlines at the time. King Charles attended the funeral mass, even though he’s supreme governor of the Anglican Church. What bigger story does this reveal about faith in modern Britain? GUEST:Professor LINDA WOODHEAD is a sociologist at Kings’ College, London.

A landmark report into Islamophobia has urged the government to introduce religious freedom legislation and punish anti-Muslim activity, which – like anti-Semitism – has soared since the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023. The official envoy on Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, says verbal and physical attacks on Muslim Australians are up 500 percent in the past two years. But can you legislate against hatred, if it falls short of violence? Can you also regulate the way people speak about any religion? GUEST:Professor Luke McNamara University of NSW - on hate speech at the Sydney Writers Festival

A landmark report into Islamophobia has urged the government to introduce religious freedom legislation and counter anti-Muslim activity, which – like anti-Semitism – has soared since the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023. The official envoy on Islamophobia, Aftab Malik, says verbal and physical attacks on Australian Muslims are up 500 percent in the past two years. But can you legislate against hatred, if it falls short of violence? Can you also regulate the way people speak about any religion? Professor LUKE MCNAMARA of the University of New South Wales School of Law studies hate speech.History was made this week in Westminster Cathedral in London. For the first time more than three centuries, a member of the British royal family had a Catholic funeral. Katharine, the Duchess of Kent, was married to Queen Elizabeth’s cousin. She died last week, aged 92. In 1994 , the Queen approved her decision to convert to Catholicism, making headlines at the time. King Charles attended the funeral mass, even though he’s supreme governor of the Anglican Church. What bigger story does this reveal about faith in modern Britain? Professor LINDA WOODHEAD is a sociologist at Kings’ College, London.Turkey is home to 3.4 million refugees -- 3.2 million from Syria. Less well-known, are those fleeing Turkey. Since a failed coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2016, around 90,000 followers of the late Muslim cleric and philosopher Fetullah Gulen have left the country. Their first stop was neighbouring Greece. While most moved onto Germany and Scandinavia, several thousand remain, mainly in Athens. Professor SOTIRIOS LIVAS specialises in Middle East affairs at Ionian University in Corfu. He was in Australia as a guest of the Affinity Foundation, which is associated with the Gulen movement.GUESTS:Professor Luke McNamara University of NSW - on hate speech at the Sydney Writers FestivalProfessor Linda Woodhead, Kings College, LondonProfessor Sotirios Livas, Ionian University, CorfuThis program was made on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation

Turkey is home to 3.4 million refugees -- 3.2 million from Syria. Less well-known, are those fleeing Turkey. Since a failed coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2016, around 90,000 followers of the late Muslim cleric and philosopher Fetullah Gulen have left the country. Their first stop was neighbouring Greece. While most moved onto Germany and Scandinavia, several thousand remain, mainly in Athens. We caught up with Sotirios Livas, who was in Australia as a guest of the Affinity Foundation, which is associated with the Gulen movement.GUEST:Professor SOTIRIOS LIVAS specialises in Middle East affairs at Ionian University in Corfu.

Australian universities are in a crisis of funding, governance, and purpose. Are they factories churning out graduates to build national wealth? Or are they places that encourage critical thinking and change?

In the US, Donald Trump has welcomed an end to a ban on churches endorsing politicians. Are Australian conservative politicians overlooking an important link with multicultural communities? And the crises facing modern universities.

The federal Coalition is trying to rebuild relations with multicultural Australia, especially after Liberal senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price appeared to offend many in the Indian community. But are conservative politicians overlooking an important link with these communities? 

In a reward for his most loyal evangelical supporters, Donald Trump has established a task force to end a ban on churches endorsing political candidates. But could his change backfire?

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. GUEST:Brother Guy Consolmagno is an American research astronomer, physicist, religious brother, director of the Vatican Observatory

The Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox patriarchs of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzabella and Theophilos III, have described the forced relocation of Gaza's residents as akin to a “death sentence”. As Israel intensifies its operations in the Gaza Strip, the two Christian leaders have declared their priests and nuns will not leave their vulnerable congregations.Reverent Father Nabil Kachab offers an Australian perspective.GUEST:The Rt Rev Father Nabil Kachab is Dean of St George Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral in Sydney.