The Religion and Ethics Report - Separate stories podcast

One in three girls around the world routinely experience violence and many are forced into marriage, according to the United Nations. October 11 is International Day of the Girl Child. To mark the day, the Christian aid organisation World Vision has launched an Australian initiative called “1,000 voices for 1,000 girls”. The world’s 85 million Anglicans have a new spiritual leader, and she’s made history. Dame Sarah Mullally is the new Archbishop of Canterbury. The one-time nurse is the first woman to hold the position. But she faces formidable obstacles. Many Anglicans, especially in the Africa, where the faith is booming, disapprove of women priests and the growing liberalism in the church towards homosexuality. The headlines scream about a university sector in crisis. Are they credential factories or places of pure intellectual inquiry? For historian Peter Harrison of Notre Dame University, the sector should reach right back to the ancient wisdom of the Greeks for inspiration. Peter’s the author of the new book, Some New World. He’s also delivering the 2025 New College lectures at UNSW, titled “God and the Secular University”.GUESTS:Mel Carswell is World Vision’s Australian spokesperson.Madeleine Davies is a senior writer who wrote a piece on the new Archbishop in The Church Times in London.Peter Harrison is an historian at Notre Dame University AustraliaThis program was made on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation

One in three girls around the world routinely experience violence, according to the United Nations. And child marriage remains a problem for many girls, some as young as 9 years old!October 11 is International Day of the Girl Child. To mark the day, the Christian aid organisation World Vision has launched an Australian initiative called “1,000 voices for 1,000 girls”. GUEST:Mel Carswell is World Vision’s Australian spokesperson.

The world’s 85 million Anglicans have a new spiritual leader, and she’s made history. Dame Sarah Mullally is the new Archbishop of Canterbury. The one-time nurse is the first woman to hold the position. But she faces formidable obstacles. Many Anglicans, especially in the Africa, where the faith is booming, disapprove of women priests and the growing liberalism in the church towards homosexuality.Guest:Madeleine Davies is a senior writer with The Church Times in London and wrote a profile on the new Archbishop

The headlines scream about a university sector in crisis. Are they credential factories or places of pure intellectual inquiry? For historian Peter Harrison of Notre Dame University, the sector should reach right back to the ancient wisdom of the Greeks for inspiration. GUEST:Peter Harrison is the author of the new book, Some New World. He’s also delivering the 2025 New College lectures at UNSW, titled “God and the Secular University”.

The leader of the world’s 17 million Mormons, Russell Nelson, has died, aged 101. The former heart surgeon didn’t assume the role of prophet until he was in his nineties and, yet, in death, he’s being described as a transformational figure in the Church of Latter-Day Saints, as Mormons are known formally. His death came the same day that four members of the church died in an attack on a church in Michigan. Professor DAVID SMITH of the US Studies Centre wrote about extensively about the Mormon church in his 2015 book Religious Persecution and Political Order in the United States.Why would a liberal Muslim who spent his teenage and college years arguing against the power of Christianity in American politics now pine for the old-fashioned religious right? Why would he look kindly on a Republican president who started a war in Iraq and call it a “religious crusade”? In an essay for The New York Times, published over the weekend, writer ZAID JILANI explained this radical change of heart.The streets of London recently filled with thousands of protesters taking part in so-called “Unite the Kingdom” rallies. Many objected to large-scale immigration. Some used Christian symbols to bolster their cause, prompting a former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, to warn against co-opting the cross for nationalist campaigns. Has the Christian nationalism that defines much of the American Right now migrated to Britain? DAVID CAMPANALE is a freelance journalist who spent 30 years with the BBC. He covered the rally for Premier Christian Radio and Christianity Magazine. David’s also a fellow of the Danube Institute.

The streets of London recently filled with thousands of protesters taking part in so-called “Unite the Kingdom” rallies.Many objected to large-scale immigration. Some used Christian symbols to bolster their cause, prompting a former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, to warn against co-opting the cross for nationalist campaigns. Has the Christian nationalism that defines much of the American Right now migrated to Britain? GUEST:DAVID CAMPANALE is a freelance journalist who spent 30 years with the BBC. He covered the rally for Premier Christian Radio and Christianity Magazine. David’s also a fellow of the Danube Institute.

Why would a liberal Muslim who spent his teenage and college years arguing against the power of Christianity in American politics now pine for the old-fashioned religious right? Why would he look kindly on a Republican president who started a war in Iraq and call it a “religious crusade”? In an essay for The New York Times, published over the weekend, writer ZAID JILANI explained this radical change of heart.GUEST:Zaid Jilani is a freelance journalist based in Georgia

The leader of the world’s 17 million Mormons, Russell M. Nelson, has died, aged 101. The former heart surgeon didn’t assume the role of prophet until he was in his nineties and, yet, in death, he’s being described as a transformational figure in the Church of Latter-Day Saints, as Mormons are known formally.His death came the same day that four members of the church died in an attack on a church in Michigan. GUEST:Professor DAVID SMITH of the US Studies Centre wrote about extensively about the Mormon church in his 2015 book Religious Persecution and Political Order in the United States.

Long before Donald Trump up-ended traditional conservatism in the US, another charismatic figure was re-shaping the Republican Party.Writer William F. Buckley was the first editor of National Review, perhaps the most influential political magazine of the 20th century. Ronald Reagan was a particular enthusiast for its ideas.But there was another force in Buckley’s life, and it often conflicted with his politics – the Catholic Church.GUEST:Sam Tanenhaus is the author of the acclaimed new biography, Buckley: The Life and Revolution that Changed America.

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.

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.

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?

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.

Benjamin Isakhan is just back from Erbil in Kurdistan.  He attended a conference on the genocide of the Yazidi people at the hands of Islamic State in Iraq. GUEST:Benjamin Isakhan is Australian Research Council Future Fellow in the Alfred Deakin Institute and Professor of International Politics in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Deakin University

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.

As Israel intensifies its operations in the Gaza Strip, two of the most significant Christian leaders have declared their priests and nuns will not leave their congregations in Gaza City. The Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox patriarchs of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzabella and Theophilos III, have described the forced relocation of the city’s residents as akin to a “death sentence”. Professor BENJAMIN ISAKHAN of Deakin University researches the plight of religious minorities in the region.Just how liberal do you have to be to be thrown out of the very permissive Episcopal Church in the United States? That’s what’s happened to one minister, whose name is Hunt Priest. He’s been defrocked for dabbling in psychedelic drugs. The church says he crossed the line by advocating the illegal use of drugs. KATHRYN POST of the Religion News Service has been following the story.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. GUESTS:Benjamin Isakhan is Australian Research Council Future Fellow in the Alfred Deakin Institute and Professor of International Politics in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Deakin UniversityKathryn Post is a journalist from the Religious News Service who wrote a piece on Hunt PriestBrother Guy Consolmagno is an American research astronomer, physicist, religious brother, director of the Vatican Observatory