The Religion and Ethics Report - Separate stories podcast

The first hundred days of a president, prime minister, even a pope make lots of headlines. Leo XIV may have less dramatic flair than his predecessor, but he’s used his first three months in office to differentiate himself from Francis, particularly on the question of the Ukraine war. Claire Giangrave reports from Rome that Leo’s unifying message has been consistent.GUEST: CLAIRE GIANGRAVE is Vatican correspondent for the Religion News Service.

If the first hundred days of a papacy can shake up the Catholic church, how much drama occurs over 80 years? History rolls on, one war ends, another begins, scandals aplenty unfold. But for author Philip Shenon, there has been a constant tension – how much should the church express judgement of the modern world and how much mercy should it extend. Philip’s the author of a sweeping new history of the church since World War II. It’s called Jesus Wept. And it chronicles the triumphs, controversies, and political significance of the seven papacies before Leo. This is both parts 1 and 2 of the 2-part discussion.GUEST:PHILIP SHENON - investigative reporter and author of Jesus Wept: Seven Popes and the Battle for the Soul of the Catholic Church 

The first hundred days of a president, prime minister, even a pope make lots of headlines. Leo XIV may have less dramatic flair than his predecessor, but he’s used his first three months in office to differentiate himself from Francis, particularly on the question of the Ukraine war. GUEST: CLAIRE GIANGRAVE is Vatican correspondent for the Religion News Service.If the first hundred days of a papacy can shake up the Catholic church, how much drama occurs over 80 years? History rolls on, one war ends, another begins, scandals aplenty unfold. But for author Philip Shenon, there has been a constant tension – how much should the church express judgement of the modern world and how much mercy should it extend. Philip’s the author of a sweeping new history of the church since World War II. It’s called Jesus Wept. It chronicles the triumphs, controversies, and political significance of the seven papacies before Leo. This is part 1 of the 2-part discussion.GUEST:PHILIP SHENON - investigative reporter and author of Jesus Wept: Seven Popes and the Battle for the Soul of the Catholic Church 

Treasurer Jim Chalmers convenes his productivity summit next week, trying to balance competing proposals to lower or raise taxes. The St Vincent de Paul Society is one of Australia’s biggest faith-based welfare agencies and, in its submission to the summit, it asks the treasurer to make ending poverty his top priority. GUEST: MARK GAETANI is the St Vincent de Paul Society's national president.

In our near neighbour, Malaysia, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is facing increasing pressure from the Islamist opposition to take an even stronger stand against Israel and the United States over the ongoing Gaza war.

It seems like an increasingly intractable situation in Gaza, and Israel’s continuing isolation globally over its actions there is not helping the peace process.What tools are available to the UN to “force” a ceasefire and end the siege in Gaza?And hypothetically,  IF the United Nations Security Council decided to deploy peacekeepers into the occupied territories and even Gaza itself, what might this look like? GUEST: Eugene Chen is a Senior Fellow at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation and wrote a paper on the Gaza the day after. 

With Israel’s plan to go deeper into Gaza, the scenario looks intractable. Israel itself is increasingly isolated on the world stage. So what tools might be available to the United Nations to “force” a ceasefire and end the siege of Gaza? And if the United Nations Security Council should decide to deploy peacekeepers in the occupied territories, even Gaza itself, what could that look like? GUEST: EUGENE CHEN is a Senior Fellow at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation and wrote a piece about the hypothetical UN involvement in the Gaza conflict.In our near neighbour, Malaysia, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is facing increasing pressure from the Islamist opposition to take an even stronger stand against Israel and the United States over the ongoing Gaza war. Anwar himself comes from an Islamist background, but he presides over a coalition that many in this Muslim nation fear is too liberal. And Donald Trump’s nomination of an Australian-born activist as the next US ambassador has also ignited fireworks. GUEST: Professor SYAZA SHUKRI of International Islamic University of Malaysia joined a recent forum at the Lowy Institute, and spoke with us afterwards.Treasurer Jim Chalmers convenes his productivity summit next week, trying to balance competing proposals to lower or raise taxes. The St Vincent de Paul Society is one of Australia’s biggest faith-based welfare agencies and, in its submission to the summit, it asks the treasurer to make ending poverty his top priority. GUEST: MARK GAETANI is St Vincent De Paul's national president.

In this thought-provoking discussion, Amra Lee sheds light on the challenges of humanitarian aid in Gaza, emphasizing the need for more than just airdrops. Clive Hamilton delves into the alarming infiltration of Chinese intelligence into Australian religious communities, revealing their tactics for control. Meanwhile, investigative journalist Suzanne Smith exposes the extreme practices of the Toowoomba 'Saints' sect, detailing the tragic case of Elizabeth Struh and highlighting efforts by local churches to combat coercive control. It's a compelling exploration of faith, influence, and accountability.

In February this year 14 members of Toowoomba-based religious sect the Saints were sentenced to prison in the Queensland supreme court.They group, including her parents, were found guilty of manslaughter over the death of 8 year old Elizabeth Struh's 2022 death by diabetic ketoacidosis.In a confronting documentary for ABC TV's Compass, award-winning journalist Suzanne Smith enters the world of the religious cult the Saints and talks to their families and former cult members.Suzanne brings The Religion and Ethics Report exclusive access to audio of police interviews and conversations with some of the young girl's relatives.The program "The Cult of the Saints" will air on ABC TV and be available here on ABC iView

Federal police have charged a Chinese national under the foreign interference laws, after she allegedly tried to infiltrate a Buddhist congregation in Canberra. Religious communities of Chinese Australians have become particularly targets for Chinese intelligence, according to Australian researcher CLIVE HAMILTON. His book, Silent Invasion: China’s Influence in Australia, detailed cases of exactly this type of infiltration. GUEST: Clive Hamilton is Professor of Public Ethics at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics at Charles Sturt University