Sunday Folgen

Pilgrimage, the journeying on foot to holy places, which was once banned by Henry VIII has undergone a revival in Britain in recent years. Nick Mayhew-Smith, co-author of a new book which illustrates 500 historic routes and sites with practical instructions on how to find them, explains the appeal of this ancient tradition.The Church of England’s governing body, the Archbishops’ Council has been reported to the head of the Charity Commission for its failure, ‘to devise a safe, consistent and fair system of redress for victims of abuse.’ The letter of complaint signed by survivors, senior lawyers and members of the General Synod is critical of the church’s handling of abuse allegations and calls for the entire safeguarding process to be reformed. Donna Birrell reports on the letter and hears from two of the signatories. The church’s lead bishop for safeguarding, Dr Jonathan Gibbs responds to the complaints and outlines what he is doing to change the church’s approach to safeguarding.This week, the UK and France have been working on new measures to stop migrants from crossing the English Channel. More than 4000 have done so since the start of the year. William Crawley debates our legal and moral duty towards migrants who make the dangerous journey across the Channel, and asks what should happen once they enter the system in the UK. And we continue our summer series exploring alternative spiritual practices that people have been embracing during lockdown. This week Martyn Cawthorne from Gong Spa Manchester explains the transformational properties of sound as he takes us on a virtual gong bath.Producers: David Cook Carmel LonerganEditor: Christine MorganPhoto: Hermit Chapel at Roche, Cornwall by Marcus Green

Ed Stourton and guests reflect on the life and beliefs of John Hume, the politician widely credited with crafting the Irish peace process, who died this week at the age of 83.We get the latest news and analysis following the devastating explosion in Beirut. The Jehovah’s Witnesses and survivors of abuse will appear at the Independent Inquiry Into Child Sex Abuse this week. One survivor calls for the organisation to apologise for what he says are inadequate policies which have failed to protect children. We assess the significance of Pope Francis' appointment of six women including former Labour minister Ruth Kelly to the Council for the Economy which oversees Vatican finances. According to the former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams the COVID pandemic has triggered a “historic spiritual moment.” The increase in app downloads and online classes suggests more people are seeking spiritual practices. This summer on Sunday we are going to explore some of them, beginning this week with yoga therapy.Producers: Dan Tierney Louise Clarke-Rowbotham.

This week is the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. A group of international leaders founded by Nelson Mandela called 'The Elders' is calling on people across the globe to reflect, pause and recognise the scale of the nuclear tragedy and they are inviting people to join them in crafting an origami paper crane and adding a message of hope. Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, is an Elder and she tells Edward Stourton why the unravelling of nuclear arms controls and the escalation of nuclear proliferation is still a global existential threat. The decision by the Dean and Chapter of Sheffield Cathedral to disband the choir has been criticised by former choir members and parents of current singers. They tell us why they are unhappy about the move to refresh the cathedral's musical offering and build a choir that reflects the diversity of the city. The Dean, the Very Reverend Peter Bradley joins us live to explain why he had to close this choir so he can 'build the best, if not the best cathedral choir in the UK'.In normal times nearly two and a half million pilgrims from around the world would be expected in the Saudi Arabian cities of Mecca and Medina for the week-long Hajj. Last month Saudi authorities banned international visitors in an effort to limit the spread of Covid-19. Around 10,000 people living in the country have been allowed to attend. BBC reporter Faarea Masud tells Edward that the impact of the cancellation is not only a spiritual blow for those hoping to attend, but it has had a massive impact on businesses too. Producers: David Cook Dan TierneySeries Producer: Amanda Hancox