Sunday Folgen

Two prominent church leaders, Rev Lucy Winkett and Rev Sam Wells, tell Emily Buchanan about the dire financial situation faced by their iconic London churches due the impact of Covid-19.A new report claims university campuses can be hostile environments for Muslim students, especially those with visible religious identities. Three students share their experiences and one of the report’s authors Professor Alison Scott-Baumann explains what the research discovered about why. The Philanthropy Revolution - Lisa Greer talks to Emily about her new approach to giving and raising money.Sunday continues to examine the issue of racism within the faith world. This week Emily hears from a trainee preacher Anthony Boeteng who raised the issue at the recent Methodist Conference and she asks the new president of the Methodist Conference, Rev Richard Teal what action the church is taking to address it. Producers:Catherine Earlam Amanda Hancox

Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh is well known for the statue of the small Skye terrier, Greyfriars Bobby. It commemorates the dog’s loyalty after it guarded the grave of his owner for 14 years. Celebrations to mark the 400th anniversary have been cancelled because of Corona virus but the Rev Richard Frazer, Minister of Greyfriars Kirk, tells Emily why people are being encouraged to model their own statues of the iconic dog as part of the celebrations. In August the Jehovah’s Witnesses will give evidence to the Independent Inquiry Into Child Sex Abuse. Submissions will also be heard from survivors who have criticised the church’s handling of abuse allegations. Their appearance comes as campaigners around the world are questioning why the religion is restructuring the organisation and selling off substantial amounts of property. Sunday’s - David Cook has been investigating.The newly confirmed Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell joins Emily to talk about the challenges he faces post pandemic in the Church, the needs of the North and the faith of the nation.Producers Carmel Lonergan David CookEditor Amanda Hancox

Pre-pandemic times saw Britain’s roads sprinkled with cyclists but they were mainly white, male and clad in lycra. Cycle Sisters in East London challenges this stereo-type because it’s a cycle group for Muslim women. There is a high proportion of ethnic minority families living in the part of Leicester where the highest number of Covid-19 cases have been recorded. Suleman Nagdi, from Leicester’s Federation of Muslim Organisations, talks to Edward about how the Muslim community is feeling as the city experiences its second lockdown.The CEO of World Vision UK, Mark Sheard, and Bernadette Fisher, Director of Brentwood Catholic Children’s Society, discuss how churches can support parents to help their children process the coronavirus crisis. Bishop Jonathan Ruhumuliza has been offered a job as a priest by the Diocese of Manchester despite twice having been refused asylum in the UK (on the grounds that he was a “genocide denier”). In 2014, he was finally allowed to stay in Briton on appeal, the immigration tribunal deciding that he had “found redemption through his religious work since the genocide”. The Guardian's Chris McGreal talks about Jonathan Ruhumuliza’s past asks whether he should have a future in the Church of England. Producers: Helen Lee Dan TiernyPhotograph by Jenna Selby, Waltham Forest Council