# Sunday A look at the ethical and religious issues of the week Page: Feed: --- ## [Reflecting on the death of Jason Arday](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0030c0l) _2026-08-16_ William Crawley and guests reflect on the death of Jason Arday, the former University of Cambridge professor who had been the subject of an investigation into his qualifications amid intense media scrutiny over claims of plagiarism and misrepresentation. The Catholic theologian and philosopher Dr Carmody Grey explains why she turned down an opportunity to discuss ethics with Anthropic, the AI… [Listen](http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-rss/proto/http/vpid/p0p4tbf5.mp3) ## [Prisoner of conscience, Sebastia, 'Mandy Burnham'](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00301vb) _2026-08-09_ A follower of the Bahá'í faith who is being held by the Iranian regime has published a vivid and shocking memoir of her time in prison. Mahvash Sabet is an award-winning educator and poet. She has been in and out of detention since 2010, suffering solitary confinement and psychological torture. Bahá'ís are Iran’s largest non-Muslim religious minority and are regarded as a threat to the state.… [Listen](http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-rss/proto/http/vpid/p0p3j77g.mp3) ## [Gaza deal, C of E in Africa, Podcasting nuns](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002zrht) _2026-08-02_ US President Donald Trump says an agreement has been reached for the "complete disarmament" of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza. The deal faces big obstacles, and behind the negotiations lies a deeper question - for a movement that has long-framed armed resistance as a religious duty, can Hamas actually disarm and survive ideologically intact? The Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, has… [Listen](http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-rss/proto/http/vpid/p0p277dp.mp3) ## [Remembering Edward Stourton](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002zgcp) _2026-07-26_ There have been many tributes this week to our dear colleague Edward Stourton, who died last weekend at the age of 68. They've come from across the media, from the churches and faith communities he covered for so long, and from listeners who simply trusted his voice on a Sunday morning. William Crawley looks back at his extraordinary contribution to religious broadcasting. Also in the programme,… [Listen](http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-rss/proto/http/vpid/p0p0xq0w.mp3) ## [Burnham's Faith & Politics, AI Sermons, World Cup & the Virgin Mary](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002z710) _2026-07-19_ As Andy Burnham prepares to become the UK's new Prime Minister we look at how his Catholic upbringing shaped the values behind his politics. William Crawley discusses the interplay of faith and politics with Nick Spencer, senior fellow with the think tank Theos, and Francis Davis, visiting fellow Kellogg college, Oxford, who has written widely on Catholic social teaching and the role of faith in… [Listen](http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-rss/proto/http/vpid/p0nznjyk.mp3) ## [Spanish Civil War at 90](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002yvwd) _2026-07-12_ This week marks 90 years since the start of the Spanish Civil War. In July 1936, a rebel general, Francisco Franco, led a military coup against Spain’s Republican government. It triggered a conflict that tore the country apart, drew in fighters and writers from across the world and claimed half a million lives. William Crawley explores how Spain remembers, and how it still argues about, its… [Listen](http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-rss/proto/http/vpid/p0nybmh5.mp3) ## [Ayatollah Khamenei's Funeral, 'Conversion Therapy', Football Fever in Mexico](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002ymvv) _2026-07-05_ As mourners gather in Iran to pay their respects to the country's former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, we hear from Tehran about the significance of the six-day funeral. His body is currently lying in state at the Grand Mosalla mosque and will travel to several religiously significant cities before a burial in his hometown of Mashhad. Authorities expect 15-20 million people to attend the… [Listen](http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-rss/proto/http/vpid/p0nwz5gq.mp3) ## [Venezuela earthquakes, America 250, pilgrimages](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002y8yq) _2026-06-28_ With the number of people known to have died following earthquakes in Venezuela rising, rescue teams are racing to find those who are still missing. Operations Manager of the Lutheran World Federation based in Caracas, Maria Caraballo, speaks about the work her organisation has been doing. The United States of American will mark 250 years since its independence this week. The separation of Church… [Listen](http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-rss/proto/http/vpid/p0nvl5nt.mp3) ## [C of E Adoption Apology; Anish Kapoor; Burnham’s Catholicism](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002xzp2) _2026-06-21_ The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally, this week apologised for the Church of England's role in the forced adoption of children in the decades after the Second World War. We hear from former Labour MP Ann Keen, a trustee of the Movement for an Adoption Apology, on her experience and reaction to the apology, and Joanne Grenfell, the Bishop of Suffolk, who chaired the Church of England's… [Listen](http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-rss/proto/http/vpid/p0nt7p3x.mp3) ## [Hire AI-Powered Professionals (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/keAq18MWsQcS) _2026-06-21 · **Sponsored**_ Browse public gigs, message candidates, and run video interviews — free to start. ## [Belfast reaction; Coming Home; Faith and Football](http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002xnr8) _2026-06-14_ Thousands of people gathered at an anti-racism protest in Belfast on Saturday, after violence across the city this past week saw people's homes, businesses and vehicles targeted. The disorder was sparked after footage of a knife attack in north Belfast on Monday night was shared widely on social media, which left the victim with serious injuries. Religious leaders have joined calls for calm and… [Listen](http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download-rss/proto/http/vpid/p0nvl206.mp3)