All Things Considered: Recent Episodes

BBC Radio Wales

Religious affairs programme, tackling the thornier issues of the day in a thought-provoking manner

Rosa Hunt looks at the ethical and religious implications of AI's growing involvement in our lives.

The first of two programmes looks at our relationship with AI in our daily lives. Artificial Intelligence might be our helper - can it ever be our friend?

Rosa talks to: Zoe Kleinman, BBC News' technology correspondent; Hannah Rowlatt, RNIB Technology for Life coordinator for Wales; Myra Wilson, head of the intelligent robotics group at Aberystwyth University; and John Lennox, Oxford mathmetician and Christian apologist who writes about the interface of science, philosophy and religion.

This edition of All Things Considered was recorded in 2023. Since it was first broadcast, the world of artificial intelligence has moved from the margins into everyday life.

We’re revisiting conversations recorded at a time when generative AI was only just beginning to capture the public imagination. Some of the predictions, hopes and concerns you'll hear may seem remarkably prescient; others reflect a moment before the technology's rapid acceleration became clear. Yet many of the ethical, social, and spiritual questions raised by our contributors remain as relevant today as they were when the programme was first broadcast.

As you listen, it's worth remembering that these discussions took place in a very different technological landscape. But hearing how much has changed in such a short time makes them especially valuable: they offer a snapshot of a time when wider society was beginning to understand what artificial intelligence might mean for our future.

A city shrouded in myth, which was purported to contain the Tower of Babel and the Hanging Gardens. It’s mentioned over two hundred times in the Bible but what does Babylon mean today? A decadent destination? A lost location? A misunderstood metropolis?

Richard Littledale discusses this with the Reverend Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones from the School of History, Archaeology and Religion at Cardiff University. He’s the author of “Babylon. The Mother of all Cities”

This year marks one hundred years since the Adoption of Children Act first created a legal framework for adoption in England and Wales. Over the last century, thousands of children have found permanent families, and adoption itself has changed enormously as our understanding of childhood, trauma, attachment and family life has evolved.

Jonathan and Rebecca Thomas go on a deeply personal journey to meet the people who shaped their own experience of adopting. It all began when Jonathan heard an interview on BBC Radio Wales more than a decade ago. It was with an adoptive father, Arfon Jones, speaking about the joy adoption has brought to his family. Jonathan returns to meet Arfon 14 years later to reflect on the significance of that interview.

Rebecca explores the remarkable changes in adoption over the last century with solicitor Becki Thomas, who was herself adopted as a baby. Together they examine how adoption has evolved to a system that places the welfare, identity and life story of the child at its heart.

We meet Pat Norbury, who was adopted in the 1950s. Raised in a loving family, Pat nevertheless carried unanswered questions throughout her childhood. She shares how meeting her birth mother brought healing and understanding, and why she feels giving children the chance to learn about their birth story is so vital today.

Lastly Rebecca meets foster carer and adoptive parent Sian Edwards, whose Christian faith and commitment to vulnerable children has shaped more than two decades of fostering and adoption. Sian explains how therapeutic parenting has transformed the way she supports children who have experienced early trauma, and shares moving stories of the breakthroughs, trust and relationships that have grown over many years of compassionate care.

The summer months can be an exciting and daunting time for many new priests and ministers as they embark afresh on their pastoral roles. After years of training, many will have just been ordained sometime around the church’s annual celebration of St Peter at the end of June - the disciple who Jesus described as being his rock and upon which his church will be built.

In an All Things Considered programme subtitled “The Call” and first broadcast in June 2021, we explored what attracts individuals offer themselves to work as ministers and priests. Half a decade later we thought we’d catch up with some of them, and discovered – if our attempts to make contact are anything to go by - that burnout and stress are key issues. In addition, some are leaving their chosen denominations altogether soon after being ordained.

In the midst of a fast-changing world Rosa Hunt asks whether the church of today and tomorrow has any room for the spiritual kind of builders that Jesus and his disciples (including St Peter) had in mind, rather than ones over-burdened with bureaucratic admin.

Join Rosa Hunt as she journeys to the breathtaking St Davids Cathedral to uncover the remarkable story of a book that changed a nation - the 1588 William Morgan Welsh Bible. Often credited with standardising and even saving the Welsh language, this historic translation is more than just one of many - it’s a cultural cornerstone.

We speak with Library Development Officer Mari James and the Dean of St Davids, the Very Revd Dr Sarah Rowland Jones, to explore the Bible’s legacy and the impact it has had on visitors to the cathedral.

Plus, we hear from Emeritus Professor Wyn James and Bible translator Arfon Jones, who reveal how this single volume helped shape the identity of a people, the future of a language, and the face of faith.

Join Azim Ahmed for a powerful and thought-provoking interview with poet and author Elinor Wyn Reynolds, as she prepares to step into history as the first layperson in over a century —and the first woman ever— to become General Secretary of the Union of Welsh Independent Churches.

Who is Elinor Wyn Reynolds, and what vision does she bring to one of Wales’s most historic religious institutions? In this candid and wide-ranging conversation, Elinor opens up about her journey through culture, grief, politics, and faith, offering deep insight into the personal and spiritual forces that shape her.

Tune in for an honest and moving interview that explores the future of the Church—and the woman leading it into a new era.

Merthyr Tydfil is a well-known town in South Wales with a rich history. In the 18th century, it was a small hamlet – just a collection of Welsh-speaking farmsteads dotted along the mountains. But within a hundred years, it became an industrial powerhouse with a booming and multicultural population. In this programme, Delyth Liddell, visits Merthyr to find out how that development affected the local religious communities, and still affects it today.

We are guided by local historian, Huw Williams. On our journey, we find out about the Jewish community that flourished in the 1800s, the Salvation Army who sent young women on mission to Merthyr in the late 1800's, and the religious revival of 1904. We also find out about the growth of Islam in Merthyr, and visit a flourishing church.

In this programme, Rosa Hunt, explores the experience and journey of grief, consolation and faith as a fellow Pilgrim walking with our contributors. Ruth McDonald lost her son Ben when he collapsed after running the Cardiff Half Marathon six years ago. Kathy Richards, who lost her son to cancer over four years ago, now runs a bereavement course. These two mothers speak to us out of their personal experience of grief. We also talk to Professor Wynn Thomas, who published 'The Art of Losing' this year. Wynn provides us with a different angle, using his literary expertise to help us see how poetry can articulate the journey of grief.

This programme was first broadcast on 12th January 2025.

Jonathan Thomas discusses the 80 year history and ongoing work of Christian Aid, the relief and development charity founded by British and Irish churches to help refugees following the Second World War.

We also hear about Gwynne Hodge, the Japanese Prisoner of War from Mumbles who returned home and set up the first Christian Aid group in Wales.

At the end of this month, MP’s will debate and vote on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. Kim Leadbeater, the Labour member behind the proposal, says that the current ‘status quo is not fit for purpose’ as it leads to people ‘having very harrowing, very distressing deaths – both for themselves and for their family.’

But, is the legalising of assisted dying the best answer to this dilemma? Would there be adequate safeguards? And when traditional Christian teaching has always affirmed that human life is sacred, how much of the argument is still swayed by religious faith?

In the studio to discuss these issues are Dr Idris Baker, a palliative medicine consultant in Swansea and a Church elder; Kathy Riddick – Wales coordinator for Humanists UK; and Rev Simon Walkling – a United Reformed Church minister and former hospice chaplain.

Jonathan Thomas looks at the history and work of the Salvation Army in Wales as it celebrates 150 years since its first mission to Cardiff, followed later by missions to Merthyr Tydfil, Aberdare and many other towns around Wales.

Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Roberts is the Army's current leader in Wales, and he gives his account of some of the movement's early days, as well as outlining its work today. Captain Canon Kathryn Stowers is the Army's Ecumenical Officer for Wales, and she talks about the organisation's radical views on the empowerment of women - it was women who led the Army's early missions to Merthyr, for example. Professor Paul O'Leary of the University of Aberystwyth has studied street processions in Wales, and explains why evangelising on the streets was such a provocative initiative that challenged Victorian notions of respectability. Historically the Salvation Army's uniform has been a huge part of its identity, but as Jennifer Le Zotte explains, there is more to this than meets the eye: in reusing secondhand clothing there was something challenging about this uniform. Even more intriguing is the special uniform for the so-called 'Slum Sisters' who tended to the needs of the very poor. She describes this as 'cross-class drag'!

For many of us the Salvation Army is synonymous with brass bands, and Jonathan visits the band of Canton Cardiff Corps to speak to their bandmaster, and to make his own practical contribution!

Jonathan Thomas’s guest is the author of “Where the saints came from” published earlier this year. She's Anne Hayward, a retired teacher and former lay reader in the Church in Wales. Anne is also a very keen walker; so much so that each Easter she goes on solo pilgrimage from her home in Bannau Brycheiniog National Park to a holy place either in Wales or beyond. As we’ll hear this year’s pilgrimage was her second journey to Brittany, a place of strong Celtic ties with Wales and Cornwall.

So far Anne has written three books about her thousands of miles on foot, travelling with a lightweight rucksack and tent, paper maps and a walking stick. During the programme recorded near the ruins of Llanthony Priory we hear extracts from the diaries she kept on her latest journey and she'll also retell some of her experiences en route.

Anne’s book titles:A Pilgrimage around WalesA Celtic PilgrimageWhere the saints came from

website: www.pilgrimstreet.uk

Today, more people than ever before are using food banks in the UK, while rates of homelessness are also on the increase. These figures are predicted to grow as we enter the cold winter months. The last two decades have seen a huge increase in faith-based initiatives to support those in crisis, from churches running food banks to street pastors to charities offering support to the homeless. But to what extent do these initiatives work, and could it be the case that by offering sticking-plaster solutions like warm spaces we are actually perpetuating the underlying problem?

Rosa Hunt speaks to Bonnie Williams, former director of Housing Justice Cymru and now CEO of Housing Justice UK. Jessica Foster, Head of Church Engagement at Trussell, the largest food bank charity in the UK and Jon Kuhrt, CEO of Hope into Action, a charity that enables churches to house the homeless. We hear from people who have been supported by charities in a time of crisis and we'll examine why, as one of the world’s largest economies, people in the UK are in the position where they might be hungry or homeless.

The report, ‘Casting Long Shadows: The ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on babies, their families and the services that support them.’ published in 2022 revealed worrying statistics about babies born during the COVID pandemic, highlighting how many had delayed social skills. But two years on, as those children now start school, how are they doing? We speak to Dr Alison Prowle, a senior lecturer at the department for Children and Families, University of Worcester; Hannah Tuck, a children's worker with a national UK charity and a kids team leader at New Life Elim Church in Barry; from Hengoed Primary School we meet teachers Natalie McPherson, Claire Jones, and Janet Watkins; and we also speak to Dr. Matthew Williamson-Dicken, and Mrs ELin Johnson, from Panteg Primary School. Finally, we visit the Little Lounge community project based in Cilfynydd, near Pontypridd, to see what place faith has had in helping the pandemic babies.

Roy Jenkins looks at the life, work and continuing influence of Isaac Watts, the great hymn-writer who was born in Southampton 350 years ago.

Of the six or seven hundred hymns he composed a good handful are sung each week in services across the denominations, and some have become fixed points in worship for Easter, Christmas and even Remembrance Sunday. Ironically, some have made their way into Anglican hymnaries, despite the fact that Watts and his family faced severe privations for not worshipping at an Anglican church - his father was imprisoned on several occasions for being a 'dissenter'. Certain hymns (notably 'Joy to the World') have been translated into many languages, including Cherokee, German, French, Zulu Welsh. Celebrated in his day as a profound thinker, poet and logician Watts' influence is felt far and wide for introducing the practice of making emotionally expressive hymns an integral part of worship.

In the final part of our series exploring aspects of Offa's Dyke, and Offa's Dyke Path, Rosa Hunt walks a part of the way in the company of five people with a passion for the outdoors, and asks the theological conundrum of whether God is a walker? There are many suggestions in both the Old Testament and the New that God does indeed walk, and it's possible - some argue - that we come nearest to Him not when we rush around but when we walk at a moderate pace. Even for people without a formal faith, the meditative action of walking can lead to a deep spiritual experience, regardless of whether or not they believe in a creator God.

For Steven Carter, a retired Baptist minister, walking Offa's Dyke has a particular significance - despite his cancer prognosis, he is determined to walk as much of its 177 miles as possible in easy stages. In this programme Rosa joins him for a section of the Dyke at Hergest Ridge. For Llinos Metcalf easy stages are probably not what she is seeking, since over the last ten years she's signed up for and completed numerous arduous treks in places such as Patagonia, the Sahara and the Arctic, sustained by her faith and a mission to raise money for Velindre cancer hospital. Rosa takes a detour to Newchurch, near Gladestry, to speak to Ann Dean about the diaries of Francis Kilvert, the one-time curate of Clyro who was an avid walker in the district. Near Hay Bluff Rosa encounters Susan Langford-Johnson, a former Catholic chaplain who despite no longer believing in God, believes she has had a deeply spiritual experience whilst walking a pilgrimage. Finally, on a gentle stretch of Offa's Dyke path at Hay Rosa meets Rev'd Dr Mark Clavier, who has written about his own 'pilgrimage' whilst never having been on a 'proper' one to a religious shrine. Is God a walker? "Yes", he agrees, "God must certainly be a walker...or else a sadist!"

Azim Ahmed walks a section of Offa's Dyke, to explore what it has to tell us about our place in the world, and in the universe. This ancient archaeological wonder constructed by the Mercian King Offa has in some ways been the making of Welsh identity. But it also speaks of fascinating connections with Europe, and possibly the Islamic world. A visit to Knighton's Spaceguard centre, however, suggests that our planet, let alone Wales, may be but a mere speck in a vast and dangerous universe.

Throughout July, All Things Considered will be coming from the ancient boundary between Wales and England – Offa’s Dyke. Each week, we explore a different section of the border as we travel from Chepstow to Prestatyn, joined by voices from the borders sharing their stories of faith, encounter and identity.

This week Jonathan Thomas explores the idea of ‘borders’ and identity, starting at St. Mary's Capel y Ffin. Here Jonathan meets Father David Wyatt at the tiny 'chapel on the border,' a focus of pilgrimage for centuries and the source of inspiration for William and Dorothy Wordsworth. Jonathan walks a stretch of the Offa's Dyke route with vicar and pilgrimage leader Simon Lockett. Starting at the Gospel Pass they head past Hay Bluff towards Llantony to discuss identity in the border lands. Jonathan speaks to pupils at Clyro Church in Wales School to hear their perspective on living on the borders. The children explain that they see borders as a point of connection, a place to forge new friendships and to hear different languages.

Canon Dr Manon James of the St Padarn's Institute shares insights into her research into Welsh identity and border lands. At the end of the Offa's Dyke path Jonathan meets Baptist minister Rob Beamish to discuss journey's endings.

Delyth Liddell in conversation with Grammy Award winning singer and songwriter Matt Redman. Matt is the writer of some of the world’s most popular worship songs and regularly leads churches across the globe in worship.

This summer Matt Redman will release his twentieth album, “Coming Back to The Heart," which revisits songs written or co-written by him over the last 25 years. He shares insights into these songs and reflects on his strong partnership with his wife Beth, with whom he has written songs, preached and planted churches, alongside raising five children. As a young man he was a worship leader for Soul Survivor church in Watford, a church which has recently been in the spotlight for serious safeguarding failures. Matt discusses his documentary ‘Let there be Light;’ the harmful behaviour of the leader Mike Pilavachi, and the bravery of abuse survivors.

Azim Ahmed and guests shine a light on a collection of ‘Lost Hymns’; long forgotten Welsh-language folk hymns recorded by oral historians at St. Fagan’s National Museum of History in the 1960s.

When musician and composer Lleuwen Steffan came across these recordings she immediately realised that they were no longer featured in contemporary hymn books. She embarked on a decade long project to track down the descendants of those recorded, and to compose music inspired by these songs. Today she brings these recordings to modern audiences, joining the recorded voices with her own compositions on piano, guitars and synthesizers.

Many of the hymns were composed as a response to the Welsh Revival of 1904, a period of intense religious fervour that swept across Wales, filling chapels, and bringing life-changing religious experiences to those part of the revivals. The songs are frank, down to earth and sometimes dark. They reflect the fragility of human experience.

Emeritus Professor Wyn James, a Welsh hymnology expert from the School of Welsh at Cardiff University sets out the historical context of these hymns. Catrin Roberts, the granddaughter of hymn collector William Morris (one of the voices in the collection) shares memories of her grandfather, and his passion for the heritage of Wales.

Lleuwen’s work is made in partnership with Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru and supported by the British Council Wales.

Roy Jenkins reflects further on his broadcast career, and recounts some memorable moments in such diverse places as Russia, South America, South Africa, Hong Kong and Israel.

The first of two special editions of All Things Considered to mark Roy Jenkins' 50 years in religious broadcasting. Across his career, Roy has been involved in a vast number and variety of programmes. Today, he looks back on just a few which have made some kind of mark on him. We hear archive footage from across Roy's career, as well as the stories behind some of these memorable programme-making experiences.

Join us again next week, when Roy will reflect on some of the fascinating encounters had had making radio in other countries.

To judge from the number of recordings (they run into the thousands) Amazing Grace is one of the world's most popular hymns. And yet this global 'hit' was many years in the making. Penned by a former slave trader turned abolitionist, John Newton, it was in America that it would be popularised, largely through the agency of a Welshman who wedded it to the tune with which we are familiar nowadays.

Ironically, the song was most enthusiastically adopted by African Americans. And it would be two centuries before a hymn written for a rural parish in Buckinghamshire would return to Britain as a popular song, conquering the charts with recordings such as Judy Collins' version in 1970, and an unlikely chart-topper in 1972 with The Pipes And Drums And The Military Band Of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.

Rosa Hunt explores the various twists and turns, and the ironies in this story of John Newton's most famous hymn, which is now some 250 years old. Acclaimed baritone and composer Roderick Williams talks about his collaboration with poet Rommi Smith in writing a song-cycle expressing some of our contemporary unease with a hymn which is both loved and despised, depending on perspective. Historian James Walvin is the author of a new book on Amazing Grace, and he provides the historical context to Newton's life, whilst Welsh historian Marian Gwyn gives her insight into the nature of the Atlantic slave trade at the time of John Newton. One landmark recording of the song was made by Paul Robeson, and Beverley Humphreys comments on both that recording and on Newton's words.

This programme was first broadcast in November 2023.

Producer: Geoff Ballinger

https://www.johnnewton.org/Groups/222562/The_John_Newton/new_menus/Amazing_Grace/Amazing_Grace.aspxhttps://cowperandnewtonmuseum.org.uk/john-newton-1725-1807/

On Sunday 26th May Llandaff Cathedral will host a service to remember people in the LGBTQ+ community who have suffered exclusion from Christian communities because of their sexuality or gender identity. The service is organised LGBTQ+ Christian Charity OneBodyOneFaith. In this week's 'All Things Considered' Delyth Liddell speaks to the charity's co-chair, Father Jarel Robinson-Brown.

Jarel Robinson-Brown is vicar of St German's Church, Adamsdown, Cardiff but he hails from London. He was raised in West London by Jamaican grandparents and studied in Cambridge to become a Methodist minister, serving as an Ordinand at Clare College. In 2021 he left the Methodist church and began the journey to be ordained as an Anglican Priest. Jarel says himself he’s a person who crosses many boundaries, calling himself “a Black, Queer British Christian minister of Jamaican and Cuban heritage.” His writing explores racism and homophobia in the church and how to better address these issues. He is the Martin Luther King Fellow at Regent’s Park College, University of Oxford, and his research interests are early Christian history, Patristics and Egyptian Late Antiquity.

Religious courts or councils have long existed in England and Wales, offering mediation or arbitration on a range of issues for the Jewish, Muslim and even Christian communities. With the recent establishment of the Sikh Council, Azim Ahmed discusses the nature of these institutions with a panel of guests. What are they, what do they do, and how effective are they?

Azim is joined by Dr Samia Bano, Reader in Law at SOAS, University of London; Rabbi Jonathan Romain, Convenor of the Reform Beit Din, and Professor Russell Sandberg.

“Run the straight race”

The line from a well-know hymn gives a clue to this week’s edition presented by Rosa Hunt. Throughout May the BBC is holding its annual Mental Health and Wellbeing Season which coincides with a week of awareness run by the Mental Health Foundation. This year the foundation is focussing on "moving more for our mental health”. During the programme we include an exploration of physical activity as far as faith is concerned.

In some faiths, worship is very much a sedentary activity and perhaps the only physical element is standing to sing hymns and songs and even then, that’s for those able to do so. Many find wellbeing in anything from private prayer and meditation to physical workouts and walks. We visit Glenwood Community Church and Wellbeing Space in Cardiff, where wellbeing and mental health are taken very seriously with a range of activities on offer to the locality including physical ones. It’s also a place where counselling is offered by professional counsellors.

We also speak to Jamilla Hekmoun, Chair of the Muslim Mental Health Alliance and a Research Fellow on the Faith and Mental Health Project run by the Woolfe Institute. On Friday 10th May the Institute is holding a workshop at Cardiff University “focussed on improving mental health provision for Muslim communities”.

As part of the BBC’s Mental Health and Wellbeing season, BBC Radio Wales will be sharing stories and tips this month on how to support your mental health and wellbeing.

LINKSbbc.co.uk/mentalwellbeingmentalhealth.org.ukwww.glenwoodchurch.orghttps://www.woolf.cam.ac.uk/research/projects/mental-health-project

Roy Jenkins talks to former nun Catherine Coldstream, who has recently published a fascinating, challenging and highly praised memoir of her former life in a Carmelite monastery.

Following the death of her father, Catherine Coldstream abandoned her musician's life in Paris and sought spiritual solace in a monastery, and found what she thought was a vocation for life as a Carmelite nun. She was only in her mid-20s Yet on a rainy night 12 years later she would try to escape from the community which had once seemed idyllic. By that time it was riven between two factions, one for maintaining the old traditions at all costs, and the other for embracing the Catholic church’s modernising concern for individual welfare.

In recent years Catherine has been a teacher of religion and ethics, and in this conversation she reflects on both the good and the bad parts of her experience in the monastery to which she gives the fictional name of 'Akenside'.

Jonathan Thomas joins the audience in the Swansea Arena to watch the musical 'Jesus Christ Superstar' on its 50th anniversary tour. He speaks to three expert guests; Swansea born singer and song writer Steve Balsamo whose award winning performance of Jesus in the 1990s launched his career. Cameron Smith who writes a blog 'Middle Brow Musicals' and also for Premier Christianity Magazine. Lastly Revered Emma Ackland, Bishop’s Chaplain in the Diocese of Llandaff.

The show first launched in the UK at the Palace Theatre in London in 1972, one of the most popular shows of all time, the rock opera depicts the last few days leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion. Some Christians have called it blasphemous, others see it as an evocative retelling of Jesus’ final days. With church congregations declining, Jonathan Thomas explores these issues and what still draws audiences today to a story about Jesus’ life and death.

Minister and biker Sean Stillman gives a searingly honest insight into a life that's been turned upside down since his diagnosis some three years ago, after experiencing a number of strange symptoms. Sean is a Christian minister at Zak’s Place , which is both a church and outreach to the homeless in Swansea. He's also international president of a Christian motor-cycle club called ‘God’s Squad’. But, like many people living with a serious illness, he has had to cut back on some of his commitments. At the same time he has also taken on new challenges such as boxing and ballet in order to maintain strength and balance. In this special programme for Parkinson's Awareness Week, recorded over several years, Sean tells his story in his own words through interviews and audio diaries.

Details of organisations offering information and support with Parkinson’s are available at bbc.co.uk/actionlinehttps://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5TzWfx4YgJVMS3N49BsyTcR/information-and-support-parkinsons-disease

While attention is understandably focussed on the latest horrors of the Gaza-Israel conflict, it’s easy to forget that in Ukraine and dozens of other countries, people are also being forced from their homes, seeing communities destroyed, and living in daily fear. In other places, the memories of much earlier atrocities continue to shape lives.

It’s the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda which killed 800,000 people in 100 days in 1994.

The UK parliament faces yet another round of votes on the government’s plans to send asylum seekers there, proposals hailed as a means of protecting borders, deterring people without legitimate claims, and fighting the traffickers.

And widely condemned as inflicting unnecessary suffering, breaching international agreements, and incurring huge expense. while working with a country with a far from perfect record on human rights.

On the day two years ago when the plans were first announced, Roy Jenkins was interviewing a survivor of that genocide in 1994. He was in Wales, visiting a couple who’d kept in touch with him since he was in an orphanage.

Today we’re repeating that conversation with Jean-Pierre Sibomana, who was maimed in an explosion which killed his mother. He’s faced many struggles, but that devastating event was eventually to help set a vision for his life – he’s now a disability rights champion.

Recent figures suggest that Christianity is now one of the most widely persecuted religions in the world.Rosa Hunt speaks to three people who have had experience of persecution in countries where to follow Christ demands a high price - sometimes literally. In Malaysia, Susanna Koh talks about the day seven years ago when her husband, Pastor Raymond Koh, was abducted possibly at the hands of Malaysian police and religious authorities, unhappy that he was doing social work among people of various religions, including Muslims. In Manipur, in north-east India, Sharon Singsit-Evans talks about the way conflict between tribes has ended up destroying churches, killing pastors and displacing thousands from their homes. Finally, in West Africa, Suleiman talks about the extreme dangers facing Christians there, where kidnapping, murder and the destruction of farmlands is becoming ever more common.

Today's guest is widely recognised for his hands-on ministry to people in need. During the lockdowns of the pandemic, when many churches in his home community of Burnley in Lancashire closed their doors, he offered ‘Church on the Street’; and it attracted wide media attention. Pastor Mick Fleming had previously spent decades in a life marked by hard crime and addiction. On the verge of an illegal operation, a spiritual encounter began a challenging journey: confronting past trauma and addictions, finding a new beginning with God and being called to ministry. Now, on the streets where he previously dealt drugs, he runs a network delivering hot meals, food parcels and clothing to the most vulnerable across the North West, as well as offering spiritual nourishment through weekly worship, and many other community services. His work has prompted a visit from the now Prince and Princess of Wales, and he’s just published his autobiography. Plans are also reportedly afoot for a television series based on his life story.

With the National Eisteddfod being held on the Lleyn Peninsula, our focus this week is poetry. Azim Ahmed is in conversation with Hanan Issa, the first female Muslim National Poet of Wales. She’s completed the first year of a three-year tenure of the post, organised by Literature Wales. Hanan Issa is proud of her dual heritage- she’s both Iraqi and Welsh and grew up in Cardiff. She’s has also made films, written short stories and is now embarking on a novel.

During the programme, Hanan discusses her journey of faith, her dual heritage, Welshness, and the (long) process involved in writing poetry even before putting pen to paper. She also discusses and reads some of her work including ‘The Unsung’ a poem commissioned in her official role to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the NHS. Hanan also speaks about her enthusiasm for 'cynghanedd' (the Welsh language poetic form in strict metre) and its use in her work.

www.literaturewales.org

“Kicha and the Unicorn” - a short story by Hanan Issa is available on BBC Sounds https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/favourites/m001p23m

The Golden Apple – a short film written and directed by Hanan Issa. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0ck5zx1

It’s possibly never happened before, but this summer a renowned physicist is in major contention with a plastic doll. The big question for cinema-goers seems to be which of the two to see first: Barbie or Oppenheimer, the biopic about the ‘father of the Bomb’, and a man whose work on nuclear weapons would change the world.

In today's edition of All Things Rosa Hunt discusses the work of physicist J Robert Oppenheimer, and his work in developing the atom bomb. For many of us, we thought the threat of nuclear conflict had almost disappeared, but the war in Ukraine reminds us that the genie unleashed by Oppenheimer in the desert at Los Alamos is still out of the bottle.

To discuss some questions about the uses and abuses of science and technology Rosa is joined by a distinguished panel of guests. These include: physicist Professor Jon Butterworth. Jon splits his time between London and the CERN laboratories at Geneva. He worked on the discovery of the so-called ‘God particle’, the Higgs Boson, with an experiment that itself has changed our knowledge of the world, and which some feared would (rather like the atom bomb) destroy everything in it. Rev Professor Philip McCormack is principle of Spurgeon’s college. Philip is a former Baptist army chaplain who’s also a key figure in drafting the ethical framework under which the British Army operates. Awel Irene, is a seasoned peace campaigner, and secretary of Cymdeithas y Cymod or The Fellowship of Reconciliation in Wales. Last but not least, Dr Iwan Russell-Jones is a lay reader in the Church in Wales, who’s seen the biopic Oppenheimer not just once, but twice!

“I want to build a church in which people can be themselves”.

Delyth Liddell is in conversation with one of the most senior figures in the Anglican Church in Wales. The Right Reverend Gregory Cameron, son of a south Wales steelworker, became the 76th Bishop of St Asaph in 2009. Before his consecration, Gregory Cameron held senior roles in the worldwide Anglican Communion; at the time he was described by the Times newspaper as “arguably the most influential clergyman behind the scenes”. Before moving to St Asaph, he warned the worldwide church not to outlaw homosexuality, for fear of the destruction of their church. He has not been afraid to speak out on issues controversial for the worldwide church.

When he’s not running a diocese – this year celebrating the 1450th anniversary of his predecessor - Asaph, Gregory Cameron is a best-selling writer and artist, has a long-standing interest in heraldry, noting that the Bishop of St Asaph’s coat of arms is “the most boring in Christendom". He’s even designed coins for the Royal Mint, and recently created a new flag for the city of St Asaph.

In this programme, Bishop Gregory talks about his early years, his role at the Anglican Communion, his firm belief in the inclusion of LGBTQ people in the church, and the importance of recreation.

Monastic life may seem remote to many. But beloved films such as the Sound of Music, documentaries, and television dramas like Call the Midwife mean that some will share an idea of what nuns are and what they do, and may even inspire a fascination and curiosity in the mysteries of a contemplative life. Today’s guest, however, has first-hand experience.

Much liked the beloved Maria von Trapp, Caroline Leighton is an avid musician. A pianist, a teacher of music and a composer, with two works to be published this month by the Royal School of Church Music, her sacred output ranges from canticles to a requiem mass, along with a collection of anthems, carols, and art songs. She grew up in a busy musical household where faith was very much on the periphery. But her musical gifts led her to discover an attraction to contemplative monastic life, and through this, a deep and profound faith. After some months as a postulant in a Carmelite monastic community in Quidenham, Norfolk, she re-entered the noisy world, re-evaluating her sense of vocation, and calling.

Azim Ahmed chats to Caroline about her experience, her faith, and her music.

Earlier this year in Utah, a western state of the USA, the King James Bible was banned in Elementary and Junior School Libraries in the Davies County school district. The ban was due to what one parent dubbed the ‘violent and vulgar’ content in the Bible. The prohibition caused an uproar, drawing global attention, and the ban was subsequently reversed. Two journalists who closely covered the story, Courtney Tanner from the Salt Lake Tribune and Sam Metz from the Associated Press, offer insight into into the story and its wider significance.

Jonathan Thomas explores whether content in the Bible is too 'violent and vulgar' to be shared with children. Steffen Jenkins, Lecturer in Greek, Old Testament and Biblical Studies at the Union School of Theology in Bridgend and Aled Davies, director for the Welsh Sunday Schools Council, explain how they handle the difficult aspects. Methodist minister Jonathan Miller explains how many of the children he works with relish the more gruesome biblical stories. Helen Jackson home educates four boys and shares the daily practicalities of handling the more challenging parts of the Bible. She's a former secondary art and design teacher and currently writes a blog, 'Imperfectly Natural Mama' documenting their journey as a Christian home educating family.

What is the relevance of this censorship debate to the UK? In recent years books including those by Roald Dahl have undergone 'sensitivity editing' to remove offensive language. Some have called this censorship and Dr Philip Kiszely, lecturer in performance and cultural histories at the University of Leeds, and Katherine Bennett, journalist for the Catholic Herald, discusses the issues.

Azim Ahmed visits one of Wales' most fascinating religious communities, now celebrating 50 years since it was founded in a peaceful corner of Carmarthenshire, near the village of Llanpumpsaint. This monastery and temple complex is devoted to worship and to service to both animal and human lives. Boasting no fewer than three elephants, the Community of the Many Names of God was established back in 1973 by a former Sri Lankan florist based in London, Guru Sri Subramanium. The Guru came to Wales guided by a vision. From unpromising beginnings - he had spotted a derelict farm for sale in the small ads of the Farmers Weekly magazine - the Guru built up a temple complex that is nowadays home to some twenty permanent members, and many more lay people and devotees. Still guided by the late Guru's vision, Skanda Vale attracts many thousands of worshippers annually, and is home not only to a human community - it is also home to numerous animals, including no fewer than three elephants!

https://www.skandavale.org/

June is Pride Month, dedicated to celebrating people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and more, usually depicted by a plus, the inclusive symbol to mean and others, and includes people of all identities and queer communities globally. Pride is not just a celebration, it's also about protest, designed to get people thinking about acceptance, equality and deeper matters about identity. Today, we turn our attention to that very matter, considering gender. What does it mean on its most fundamental level? What did God intend? How does it make us who we are to ourselves and each other? And what of the interplay between biology, psychology and faith? Big topics and ones which can stir confusion, concern, and generate challenging questions.

To help make sense of these matters, Delyth Liddell is joined by: The Bishop of Llandaff, the Very Reverend Mary Stallard Reverend John-Edward Funnell, Pastor of Noddfa, Abersychan Reverend Sarah Jones, a transgender Anglican priest and vicar of St. John's in central Cardiff and Jack Valero, founder of Catholic Voices

Until a few decades ago congregations would regularly wear their smartest outfits to church or chapel every Sunday: women might wear a frock and adorn their heads with exotic hats, and men might don a sober suit and tie, and slather their hair in fragrant hair tonic. Meanwhile, such clergy as used clerical dress - and that's by no means all - tended to restrict themselves to a restricted palette of black, white and maybe grey. Nowadays, attitudes are far more relaxed among congregations; and some clergy, particularly members of the Catholic and Anglo-Catholic traditions, rejoice in wearing some fascinating vestments, full of vibrant colour and full of symbolism. Jonathan Thomas examines the complex dress codes at work among congregations and clergy in the past, and gets a feel for attitudes towards clothing today - and even gets to try on a beautiful green chasuble!

Jonathan meets one of the premium makers of clerical vestments - Watts & Co - who have been involved in no fewer than five coronations (including the coronation of King Charles III (https://wattsandco.com/pages/royal-connection), and speaks to Bishop Mary Stallard, Bishop of Llandaff. Baptist Gethin Russell-Jones, recalls growing up under the 'Sunday Best' dress code, while Methodist minister Cathy Gale recalls the strict hat-wearing code at work when she ministered to congregations in the Caribbean. Jason Bray, vicar of St Giles church in Wrexham, explains what he wears for his very particular side-line as a 'deliverance minister'.

As Rev Dr Bray explains, the contemporary relaxed dress code among congregations reflects a movement away from 'social Christianity', where church is merely a place to be seen, to an environment in which people take their spirituality seriously.

This week marks the start of the 'Churches Unlocked' festival in South Wales running between the 3rd and 11th of June. During this time thirty churches will be welcoming the public for events; from bell ringing taster sessions to wildlife spotting in churchyards.

With the closure rate of churches in Wales increasing, Christopher Catling, Chief Executive of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, explains why he believes it’s vital to preserve church buildings, and how he believes events like this can help. The festival’s founder Sarah Perons explains how she hopes the event will help connect communities with their historic buildings.

Delyth Liddell visits three churches taking part in the festival. At Margam Abbey Mark and Ruth Greenaway Robbins show her the historic Stanton Vestments and share their vision for a welcoming inclusive church. Bev Gulley takes Delyth on her ‘Trails and Tales’ talk about the great and the good buried at the Abbey, and tells some captivating Victorian tales.

At St. Cybi’s Church, Llangibi, Peter Foden leads a pilgrimage walk, ‘Camino Cybi,’ and shares the story of a wild-camping Cornish prince who founded the church in the sixth century.

In Barry pupils from Oak Field Primary School show Delyth around Merthyr Dyfan church and share why they love this small sanctuary situated in the middle of residential housing estates. Emma Ackland explains how the festival has given them the boost to open the church that has been locked since the Covid pandemic, apart from for Sunday worship.

Religious affairs programme, tackling the issues of the day in a thought-provoking manner.

As Easter draws to a close, Christians around the world will be focussing on the Day of Pentecost which comes a week today. This major festival has been given other names too - Whit Sunday or Whitsun for short. It’s even been referred to as the birthday of the church. Coming 50 days after Christ’s Resurrection, it’s the time when (according to the dramatic account in chapter 2 of the Acts of the Apostles) the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit. The passage continues, “Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them” The Holy Spirit had arrived in no uncertain terms. From then on – as the remainder of the Book of Acts relates - the disciples and their followers were inspired to go forth and set up the first churches in places like Corinth and Thessaloniki; their mission was far from easy. Down the centuries, churches have been opened and closed and indeed the landscapes of Wales and other places around the world are punctuated with neglected and derelict churches which were once proud testaments to fervent revivals. Here in Wales, many places such as Llandudno, Llantwit Major and Llanbadrig are testament to church cells founded by saints about 1500 years ago. Now, despite an increasingly secular society today, new churches are being opened with congregations growing in number. We ask why. With the help of his guests, Jonathan Thomas hears about the descent of the Holy Spirit on the very first Day of Pentecost, and its subsequent influence on new churches emerging around the Eastern Mediterranean and Asia Minor. He also explores the work of the Holy Spirit today in Pentecostal and mainstream denominations, and learns about the seeming exponential growth of neo-Pentecostal churches in south America. Our guests: Catrin Williams: Professor of New Testament Studies at the University of Wales, Trinity St David.The Revd Dr Gareth Leyshon, a Roman Catholic priest and Director of Adult Education in the Archdiocese of Cardiff.The Revd Dr Jonathan Black: Lecturer in Theology at Regents Theological College of the Elim Pentecostal Church, and a minister in the Apostolic Church. Luca Sparey: an ordinand based at the Citizen Church in Cardiff. Professor Bettina Schmidt: Director of the Alister Hardy Religious Experience Centre based in Lampeter.

Azim Ahmed looks into some of the issues affecting mental wellbeing among the Muslim community in Wales and beyond. Whilst younger people might now be well versed in the language and lexicon of mental health, some older people may struggle to find the words to describe their mental state. In some cases, faith can be a balm for the troubled mind, but there are cases where certain religious beliefs can actually make things harder - beliefs such as attributing mental illness to the 'evil eye' or even demonic possession, for example. Attitudes are changing, but research suggests a need for sensitivity among health professionals in understanding the cultural backgrounds of some Muslim patients. And among Muslims, there's comfort in the example of the Prophet Mahommed himself, who evidently also experienced periods of low mood and anxiety, and yet was unafraid to express his feelings.

This week sees the Coronation of King Charles III. Whilst the Coronation service itself is rooted in ancient Christian traditions and symbols, it breaks new ground, with a ‘faith procession’ of eight non-Christian clerics leading the way into Westminster Abbey, the presentation of ceremonial regalia involving Sikh, Hindu, Muslim and Jewish peers; Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, a practising Hindu, reading from the Bible; the blessing shared by leaders of different Christian denominations; and the King being greeted by non-Christian faith leaders. As Prince of Wales, King Charles once said he would prefer to become ‘Defender of Faith’ rather than ‘Defender of the Faith’. However, the King’s oaths, central to the service, remain unchanged, including the promise to maintain ‘the Protestant Reformed Religion’ as Supreme Governor of the Church of England. The oaths are, however, contextualised by the Archbishop of Canterbury, to illustrate the King’s commitment to the multi-faith and diverse landscape in Britain. But what exactly does this centuries old title of ‘Fidei Defensor’, ‘Defender of the faith’, mean in practical terms at the dawn of King Charles’ reign? What of the bigger picture - does it apply to us in Wales? Do we need one? And what of the place of other faiths? To discuss these issues, Rosa Hunt is joined by:The Very Rev Dr Sarah Rowland Jones, Dean of St Davids;Alun Lenny, councillor, former mayor of Carmarthen and a non conformist lay preacher with the AnnibynwyrCatherine Pepinster, a journalist specialising in religious affairs, and author of 'Defenders of the Faith, the British Monarchy, Religion and the Coronation';And Akhandadhi Das, A Vaishnava Hindu teacher and theologian

Jonathan Thomas goes on a journey around Wales to meet three contemporary artists; Karen Jones in Anglesey, Mark Cutliffe in Swansea and Lois Adams in Treforest, Pontypridd. He finds out how their faith informs and inspires their art. Mark Cutliffe finds his inspiration in the outdoors and works with willow and sand. Jonathan joins him and together they create a piece of sand art on Swansea Bay. Jonathan finds out about his past as a rock musician and his personal journey to faith. We hear about his work with community groups and his firm belief that anyone can be creative, they just need to make a start. Mark runs the Essence Creative Christian Festival held each summer in Swansea. Karen Jones is a painter and lives in Waenfawr near the Snowdonia National Park. We meet her on Treaddur Bay in Anglesey where she is collecting shells to inspire a new painting. She explains how her art is influenced by the Italian mathematician Fibonacci, and how painting has helped her cope with the loss of her brother. Jonathan meets 3D artist Lois Adams at Parc Arts in Treforest, Pontypridd. Here she is exhibiting a piece in a touring exhibition "Biblical Women: Equity." The collection aims to take a fresh look at how women are depicted in the Bible by focussing on the work of female artists. Lois explains her thought proving 3D art, and shares her understanding about the role of artists to serve the community around them.

Azim Ahmed looks at the extraordinary life and work of the nineteenth century Liverpool solicitor William Abdullah Quilliam. Although brought up as a Wesleyan, Quilliam would convert to Islam after a visit to Morocco. He returned with indefatigable zeal to establish a mosque in Liverpool, and to create a British version of Islam, complete with hymns and a very distinctive version of the national anthem. Quilliam used the title of 'Sheikh al-Islam' of the British Isles, a title he claimed was conferred on him by the Sultan of Turkey. Azim talks to Professor Ron Geaves of Cardiff University, and to Yahya Birt, an Islamic community historian. In addition, Azim talks to writer and historian Christina Longden, whose Cardiff-born ancestor Robert Stanley went on to become one of Quilliam's most significant converts.This programme was first broadcast in January.

The final part of a series of programmes on BBC Radio Wales marking the 900th anniversary of St David’s international recognition. David’s spiritual authority is said to have come from his reputed visit to Jerusalem in the 6th century, the city which is the focus of the Easter narrative and would have been at the centre of David’s world. In the 21st century that city’s story is a complex and involved one: this programme does not seek to explain or explore those issues, but simply offers three Easter postcards from Jerusalem. These come from places connected with the events of Holy Week, which have been significant through the centuries. Their stories are told from the perspectives and through the voices of Christian visitors to and residents of a city which continues to inspire people from around the world.

Fr Matthew Roche-Saunders, a Catholic priest from the parish of Aberystwyth is in Rome, following in the footsteps of faithful pilgrims across the centuries. 900 years ago this year, as recorded by the English historian William of Malmesbury, Pope Callixtus II granted a privilege to St Davids to be of significant spiritual importance for pilgrims. As part of our 'In The Footsteps of David' series of programmes celebrating our patron saint, Fr Matthew explores the act of pilgrimage, hearing from others visiting places around the globe linked to Saint David, to understand more about this journey of faith.

Delyth Liddell follows in St David's footsteps to Glastonbury, one of the most spiritually diverse places in Britain, and a community which David is said to have founded in the sixth century. David famously preached against heresy (the heresy of Pelagianism), so what what would he have made of a community that these days is home to 78 different spiritualities... and what would they have made of him?Delyth visits the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey, accompanied by an Anglo-Saxon guide - Edgar the Anglo-Saxon - and in the beautiful surviving chapel of St Patrick speaks to the vicar of Glastonbury, Prebendary David McKeogh. That the once magnificent abbey now stands in ruins is a vivid demonstration of what happens when one orthodoxy is replaced by another, as the Reformation made heretics of former loyal Catholics, and dismissed the wonders of saintly cults such as the cult of St David. Dr Sarah White explains the nature of heresy past and present.Nowadays, Glastonbury is a more tolerant, inclusive society - Delyth visits not only a Catholic shrine but also a pagan healing centre. Far from condemning modern pagans, many mainstream Christian denominations in the town are prepared to work alongside people who hold quite different views to their own - vicar David McGeogh recalls fondly the occasion when he organised a funeral for an artist, and elves, pixies and druids all joined in to say the Lord's Prayer. As Methodist minister Tina Swire explains, 'Glastonbury is a place of seekers... and we are all seeking something'.

St. David is said to have performed a number of miracles, from restoring the sight of a man who was blind to the famous occasion when a hill rose up beneath him so that the crowds could hear his preaching. As part of our series marking the 900th anniversary of St. David’s recognition as a saint, Roy Jenkins and guests discuss miracles today. The panel examine how we make sense of St. David’s miracles in a contemporary context, whether miracles do in fact still happen, and if they do occur, why do so many earnest prayers go unanswered? Roy Jenkins is joined by four guests; Julian Richards, who founded Cornerstone church with his wife Sarah more than thirty years ago and now heads up New Wine Cymru. Joshua Brown is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Indiana University. His own experience of miraculous healing was recently featured in an article in the New York Times. He helped found the Global Medical Research Institute which investigates and publishes case studies of miraculous events. Gemma Simmonds is a sister of the Congregation of Jesus, a prolific writer who teaches at the Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology in Cambridge. She is a regular visitor to Lourdes. Lastly Trystan Owain-Hughes, a Christian theologian and author of Finding Hope and Meaning in Suffering. He’s the Director of Ministry Development for the Church in Wales.

As part of our series of programmes making the 900th anniversary of St David's international recognition, presenter and pastor Jonathan Thomas tries out a day in the life of St David.Jonathan's own contemporary religious traditions are quite different from the ancient practices of a Celtic saint. As he visits key locations in West Wales connected with David, and follows in his footsteps and practices (or their present-day equivalents) - what will he make of life lived in the style of a 6th century monk? And what will today's West Walians make of him?In this programme, Jonathan tries cold water immersion, street preaching, contemplative practices and more. Helping him along the way are St Davids' Cathedral librarian Mari James; Archdeacon of Ceredigion and dairy farmer Eileen Davis; and chaplain at the University of Wales Trinity St David, Emma Whittick.No day in the life of a saint is complete without a trusty band of followers: Jonathan is joined for part of the programme by students from Trinity St David's Lampeter Campus, and conducts some of his saintly duties in the contemplative environment of the campus' chapel, refectory and library.

Roy Jenkins discusses contemporary Welsh identity in Bangor with four guests: the Archbishop of Wales and Bishop of Bangor Andrew John; historian Elin Jones, author of the recent book History Grounded, documenting the history of Wales; political commentator Theo Davies-Lewis, a regular writer for The Spectator and contributor to both BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio Wales; and Menna Machreth, former chair of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (the Welsh Language Society) and currently project manager for the Welsh-medium playgroups Mudiad Meithrin.The panel discuss the relevance of St. David to contemporary society; when increasing numbers of people declare that they have no religion, what is the relevance of a saint’s day? What do the faith and works of a sixth-century monk mean for those who don’t share his beliefs? And in what sense can he be significant still to the faith, language and identity of a 21st century society?

This year marks 900 years since St David’s place at the centre of Welsh identity was given international recognition by Pope Callixtus II. Two pilgrimages to St Davids, it was pronounced, were equivalent to one to Rome; a later version of this claims that three pilgrimages to the Pembrokeshire cathedral were equivalent to one pilgrimage to Jerusalem. But who really was St David, and what does he mean to us in 21st century Wales?for BBC Radio Wales, All Things Considered and Celebration are marking this anniversary during the seven weeks from St David’s Day to Easter. We’re exploring the locations connected with his story to understand what motivated him, how he’s been seen across the centuries, and what he means to us now. We’ll reflect themes linked to St David, and hear from contemporary pilgrims following in his footsteps, and we’ll worship as David did.David’s life and the stories which came to be told about him were from the very beginning shaped by an international dimension: David was given his status because of a relationship with Rome; he acquired his spiritual purpose because of a relationship with Jerusalem; his birth and upbringing involved a relationship with Brittany; while his spiritual leadership involved relationship with the whole island of Britain. In this programme Sarah Rowland-Jones investigates some deeper connections between our patron saint and the Holy City. The earliest biography of St David, written 500 years after his death, claimed that David travelled to Jerusalem and met the Patriarch, who declared him archbishop of all the the Britons. This may sound fanciful, but there is an abundance of evidence that early Christians actually did make that arduous journey to the Holy Land - not least from Britain. Not only that, David's famously austere monastic lifestyle is certainly indebted to the example set by the desert fathers, who lived in Egypt - a connection that David's earliest biographer, Rhigyfarch, explicitly acknowledges. Visiting the Garden of Gethsemane and the Old City of Jerusalem, Sarah searches for the historical context for a saint about whom so much has been written, but about whom so little is known for certain.

This week we’re marking the first anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24th February 2022. Roy Jenkins explores some of the religious elements involved in this conflict. Many argue that Russia’s President Putin has been using religion to justify his so-called special military operation. The largest religious tradition in both Russia and Ukraine is the Orthodox Church with years of history stretching back to 988 AD. Officially there are 15 Orthodox churches worldwide, along with a dozen others whose status is said to be uncertain. It’s Patriarch Kirill who leads the Moscow Patriarchate. He’s spoken in support of Russia’s so-called special military operation; a stance which has led Pope Francis to refer to him as “Putin’s altar boy”. We hear about him and ask just how much religious liberty there is for worshippers in Russia. Meanwhile in Ukraine where there is considerable religious diversity, we hear about the friction between the pro-Moscow Orthodox and independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine. We also hear about the humanitarian and pastoral work in the country. We also ask - what of the future? Our guests: Dr Geraldine Fagan: Editor of the journal East-West Church Report and a practising member of the Orthodox Church. www.eastwestreport.orgDr Joshua Searle of Spurgeon’s College in London and a trustee of the Dnipro Hope Mission in Ukraine. www.dniprohopemission.orgJonathan Luxmoore is freelance journalist based in the UK and Poland specialising in religious news throughout Europe. He writes (among others) for the Church Times and The Tablet. Music: Extracts from the Vespers Op 37 by Sergei Rachmaninov.Extract from Prayer for Ukraine by Valentin Silvestrov.

This week, Azim Ahmed’s guest is a senior figure in the Church in Wales. The Right Reverend Mary Stallard, currently the Assistant Bishop of Bangor, has just been elected as the 73rd Bishop of Llandaff – a post she’ll take up in sometime in the spring. The Diocese of Llandaff covers nearly half the Christian population in Wales, including parts of Cardiff, the Vale of Glamorgan and some of the Valleys.Bishop Mary was one of the first women to be ordained as a priest in the Church in Wales in 1997. Since then she has served a number of clerical posts in all corners of the country. For the past twenty years she’s worked in the north, in both the St Asaph and Bangor dioceses where she’s held a number of senior roles. Five years ago she was appointed Archdeacon of Bangor and then almost twelve months ago was made the Assistant Bishop there. Bishop Mary’s voice is familiar to many listeners in Wales; in the past she’s also presented a number of All Things Considered programmes. In the first radio interview since her election, Bishop Mary talks to Azim about her early life and career, about relationships with non-Christian faiths, young people, and the role of a bishop, not least in speaking out on topical issues, of which in her view, the biggest is concern about the environment.

Roy welcomes back Canon Aled Edwards, an Anglican priest who’s spent more than half of his ministry among the politicians and officials of what’s now the Welsh Parliament, the Senedd. At the same time, he’s worked for large numbers of refugees and asylum seekers, fought against racism and other kinds of discrimination, and helped forge links between different religious communities. And he’s done so both as a Christian minister, and as a political anorak, who once spent a fortnight’s holiday in California campaigning for Barak Obama.At the end of March, Canon Aled Edwards will move on after 23 years with Cytûn, Churches Together in Wales, the last 17 as its chief executive – a fitting guest in this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

"Get on the pill, get a job, and stay out of my life" - such were the less than encouraging words her father once addressed to the young Lorraine Cavanagh. Despite coming from a wealthy and privileged family background (her grandmother was the inventor of the modern bra, and the proprietor of a prestigious publishing house), Dr Cavanagh endured a childhood of emotional neglect, and sexual abuse at the hands of a stepfather she was encouraged to call 'Dad'. In this candid interview, Revd Cavanagh, who is now a Church in Wales priest, talks to Delyth Liddell about her new book, a memoir about coming to terms with her early life: Rebuilding the Ruined Places, and her journey of faith, trying to make sense of some of the paradoxes of her extraordinary, glamorous and yet emotionally starved upbringing in France, America, Spain and England.

The recent release of Census statistics for religion suggests that the number of people with no religion now far exceeds the number of those purporting to be Christian. Roy Jenkins discusses the implication of these results with a panel including Dr Emma Whittick, chaplain of Trinity Saint Davids University of Wales at Lampeter and Carmarthen; George Craig, a retired civil servant and Methodist lay preacher; Kathy Riddick, Wales co-ordinator for Humanists UK; and Chris Street, who leads the Wales Leadership Forum, an organisation that aims to help church leaders to develop their mission.

As the Christmas festival continues, Roy Jenkins explores – with the help of a range of guests – the significance of one of the best known seasonal texts. The Magnificat is an outpouring of joy from Mary, on hearing the news from the Archangel Gabriel that she is to give birth to Jesus. The text, from St Luke’s Gospel, will have been heard in many churches during the past few weeks as part of the telling of the Christmas story. There have been countless musical settings down the centuries – ranging from single line Gregorian chant to more florid settings from JS Bach and Palestrina, and in the present day from composers such as John Tavener and Arvo Pärt. As the Magnificat has an important place in Roman Catholic and Anglican liturgy, there are numerous settings for singing in the daily round of Vespers and Choral Evensongs in our cathedrals and churches. On the face of it, the Magnificat or “Mary’s Song” as it’s sometime known, isn’t such good news for the mighty who will be unseated, and the rich who will be sent empty away. The German pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer who was executed by the Nazis, described the Magnificat as “the most passionate, the wildest… the most revolutionary hymn ever sung.” But after a year during which we have seen the start of a war, a rise in the cost of living, a widening of the gap between rich and poor, continuing pestilence and the ravages of climate change, what hope can we glean from it for 2023? Our guests:The Rt Revd Mary Stallard, Assistant Bishop of Bangor.Andrew Wilson-Dickson, composer and Cardiff-based musician.Dr Emma Gibbins, Director of Music, St Woolos Cathedral, Newport. Revd Dr Craig Gardiner, Tutor at South Wales Baptist College and Cardiff University. Sean Stillman, Minister at Zac's Place, Swansea, and International President of God Squad.Revd Dr Jennie Hurd, Chair of Wales Synod Cymru of the Methodist Church. The programme includes extracts of settings of the Magnificat by Sir John Tavener, JS Bach, Charles Villiers Stanford, Richard Shephard, and Margaret Rizza.

Plunging temperatures and rising fuel and food prices are all having a severe impact on all sorts of people. Roy Jenkins looks at what some churches around Wales are doing to help people trapped in the cost of living crisis during the run-up to Christmas. In Trethomas, in the borough of Caerphilly, Roy meets Revd Dean Roberts, whose Parish Trust and Care Project, established during the Pandemic, continue to help people living in the area. Julia Bartholomew, minister of Rhos-on-Sea United Reformed Church talks about the Warm Space that her church has recently opened up, offering hot food and company to all who come. Jessica Foster of the Trussell Trust explains the continuing importance of churches for the work of foodbanks. In Flintshire, Fr Dominic Cawdell talks about The Table - an initiative offering hot meals for people in the Holywell and Greenfield parishes. And in Merthyr Tydfil, Roy speaks to Heidi Jacobson and Lisa Edwards, organisers of The Pantry at Hope Church.

It’s the most wonderful time of year, with kids jingle-belling and tea towel clad shepherds, sulking kings and young inn keepers playing their part in Nativity plays in schools and churches. Costumes, songs, proud parents, and memories created, are all part of this advent tradition. It has a special place in hearts of many, and gives some a warm fuzzy feeling. But, where has this tradition come from? What does it really mean for children and families? And what of other kinds of representations popping up? As census data shows Christianity has fallen to lower than half the population, with an increase in those stating they have no religion, what is the future of this tradition?

Civil unrest in Iran, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Masha Amini in police custody, has spread across the Iranian Republic. What began as a protest for women’s rights has swelled, with demands for greater freedoms and even an overthrow of the state. The issue’s dominated Iran’s play at the Football World Cup in Qatar – as their team stood in silent protest while their anthem was played. Closer to home, here in Wales hundreds have gathered on the streets to protest under the slogan “Women, Life, Freedom.” In response the country’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has blamed the West for inciting protests and there’s been a fierce crackdown. This week Iran reported that there have been more than 300 deaths and thousands have been arrested as a result of the protests.But what does this really mean for people of faith? And how much do we know about the country and lives of the people who live there? While most Iranians are Shi’i Muslims, it is also home to a number of minority religious communities. To discuss the issues Azim Ahmed is joined by Roozbeh Najarnejad, an Iranian Christian who supports Christian communities in Iran through Elam Ministries. Maral Shams, a teacher from Wales who has been closely involved with the “Women, Life, Freedom” protests here in the UK. Padideh Sabeti, Director for the UK Office of Public Affairs for Bahá'í Community, the largest non-Muslim community in Iran, and Maziyar Ghiabi, the Director of the Centre for Persian and Iranian Studies at Exeter University.

On this Advent Sunday here beginneth your guide to some of the other characters caught up in the Christmas story in addition to 'Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the wee donkey'. When Superintendent Ted Hastings of TV’s 'Line of Duty' referred to the holy family, he had obviously forgotten all the other key suspects who in the next few weeks will feature in readings in Advent and Christmas carol services. Even before the shepherds and magi set foot in Bethlehem, we consider:

Who was the prophet Isaiah who foresaw the coming of a Saviour? Who or what is the Root of Jesse? And then there’s John the Baptist and the Archangel Gabriel. There always has to be a baddie - his name; King Herod. We also find out about that non-biblical and mysteriously beneficent figure who seems to hang around at this time of year. Should animals including that wee donkey, be present in the telling of the Christmas story?

We might know their place in the plot but what do we know (or not know) about them, and why are they so important in the unfolding of the Christmas story? Roy Jenkins consults a modern-day cast of expert seers.

The Revd Dr Emma Whittick, Chaplain to the University of Wales Trinity St David (Lampeter & Carmarthen Campuses) The Revd Dr Peter Hatton, Old Testament Scholar and Methodist Minister Dr Meredith Warren, Senior Lecturer, Biblical and Religious Studies, University of Sheffield. The Revd Professor Jeremy Duff, New Testament Scholar and Principal, St Padarn’s Institute. The Rt Revd Gregory Cameron, Bishop of St Asaph and author of ‘An Advent Book of Days’.

BBC Sounds episode image: 'The Ox & the Ass’, an illustration by Gregory Cameron, used with permission.

This programme was first broadcast in Advent 2021.

Roy Jenkins and guests discuss human rights and the Football World Cup with a live audience at Wrexham Glyndŵr University. The panel discussion is part of a range of programmes being broadcast by BBC Radio Wales in Wrexham this weekend to mark the Wal Goch Festival of Football.

The Football World Cup is just a week away and it’s the first time Wales has qualified since 1958. It’s also the first time the World Cup has been hosted by a Muslim nation, Qatar, and the country is expecting 1.3 million fans. However, the games have been shadowed by controversy, with questions asked about the rights and working conditions of the migrant workers involved in building the infrastructure. Paris and other French cities are boycotting the games by not screening them in public spaces. In response the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, has said that Qatar has faced unprecedented criticism since winning the bid.

Joining Roy Jenkins to discuss the issues are Graham Daniels, General Director of Christians in Sport and a Director of Cambridge United Football Club. Jahangir Mohammad, Founder and Director of the Ayaan Institute. Ewa Turczanska, Member of the Colwyn Bay Amnesty International group and contributor to the World Cup values statement made with the Welsh Centre for International Affairs. Faisal Bodi from the Islamic Human Rights Commission.

Audience includes students from Wrexham Glyndŵr University, Coleg Cambria, Chester University and Bangor University.

Roy Jenkins looks at what some regard as one of the most significant developments for religious faith in Britain for generations: a practising Hindu in the highest office in the land. It’s only 8 years since Rishi Sunak became an MP, so the speed of his ascent has been astonishing. But this is a Prime Minister from a very different mould to many of his predecessors: he really does ‘do faith’. Only it’s not the Christian one.

Roy talks to three Hindus in Wales to discover what they make of this the youngest Prime Minister in modern times, and the first ever Hindu in that role. How – if at all - might his faith and cultural background shape his personal and political values? And where – if at all - might these values cause him difficulty?

Until his promotion to the role of Chancellor, few outside Westminster had heard of Rishi Sunak. Yet he rapidly created a favourable impression, introducing policies such as the furlough scheme and the popular ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ to woo nervous diners back to the hospitality sector.

It has to be said, Sunak has not been elected by the public at large – only by a majority of MPs of his own party. Nevertheless, his rise has confounded many expectations. And according to some Hindu believers, the portents are highly auspicious: Sunak was appointed on Diwali.

Taking part in the programme are Vishnav Hindu theologian and teacher Akhandadhi Das, retired RE teacher Neera Vyas, and Dr Poonam Singal of the Hindu Cultural Association of Wales.

Tax is an issue which none of us can avoid. It can spark furious debate, be the cause of sleepless nights, and it’s just hastened the demise of a prime minister and her government. Few of us relish paying tax, but most accept that it’s the price of living in a society. But can it ever be made fair? How much should the well-off be paying? And how is a religious faith meant to shape how its followers approach such questions? Roy Jenkins is joined by four guests to discuss the issues. Rebecca Reading is a tax specialist and partner at Lewis Golden. She’s been a tax director for Price Waterhouse Cooper and Tata Steel. Ross Hendry is the CEO of CARE (Christian Action, Research and Education.) He trained in economics, and has held a variety of positions dealing with public policy. Sue Richardson is a Catholic and Chair of ‘Church Action for Tax Justice’, whose latest campaign appeals for a one-off wealth tax on the country’s richest people. Andy Hartropp is an economist and an Anglican minister, he’s the author of ‘God’s Good Economy.’

This week we escape to the hills. If you explore the beautiful mountains and valleys of Wales, you don’t have to go too far before coming across an ancient Christian church founded many centuries ago by a Celtic saint who settled there. Such places, sometimes in a rugged remote setting, offer a powerful spiritual connection for those who might chance to visit. There’s also the lure of the hills and mountains. Amongst British Muslims – especially younger ones, the countryside and the Welsh mountains in particular, are popular locations for spiritual retreats.

What is it then that draws people of faith and none to make for the hills, whether to seek out holy places or to commune with nature? Azim Ahmed visits an ancient Christian church high up in the hills of Snowdonia to seek answers. During the programme we meet an Islamic scholar, a poet and priest, and another priest who leads Celtic worship.

Worship in the wild: www.caruconwy.com/worship-in-the-wild Muslim Hikers: www.muslimhikers.com

This week Roy Jenkins is in conversation with Siân Rees, the new Head of Bible Society in Wales who’s less than two weeks in the job. The charity has its roots in Wales with Mary Jones’s 26 mile walk to Bala in mid-Wales over 200 years ago to buy a bible in her own language.

Today, Bible Society (formerly known as the British and Foreign Bible Society) is finding new ways of telling (as the hymn goes) the old, old story. Only this month the society has released a new video “The Bible in four minutes”; a spoken animation written and narrated by Welsh poet Dai Woolridge. In this programme Siân Rees tells Roy of her upbringing and her commitment to recapture today the kind of passion for the Bible as Mary Jones showed 200 years ago.

www.biblesociety.org.uk/wales

Roy Jenkins looks back at a century of religious broadcasting on the BBC.

With a motto inspired by a Biblical source, the early BBC was avowedly Christian, and largely Anglican at that. Sir John Reith (a man lacking in neither religious conviction nor self-belief) placed enormous importance on the radio as a means of disseminating the Christian message. Roy Jenkins looks at Reith's legacy of religious programmes on the airwaves, and subsequently on television, as producers tackled the increasingly complex make-up of multi-cultural Britain.

From the broadcasting of services and state occasions to talks such as C.S. Lewis's hugely popular essays and Dorothy L Sayers' experimental drama The Man Born to be King, the BBC was at times innovative and prepared to court occasional controversy. Some of the BBC's religious programmes, such as The Daily Service - first broadcast in 1929 and still with us today - have a remarkable history almost as long as the BBC itself. Others, such as Songs of Praise, have faced diminishing audiences, as well as changes of slot times - a reflection on an increasingly secularised audience perhaps.

Roy's guests include Sian Nicholas, Professor of Modern History at Aberystwyth University; Leslie Griffiths; Ian Tutton, a former member of the Central Religious Affairs Committee whose job it was to oversee religious broadcasting; and Caitriona Noonan, Senior Lecturer in Media and Communications at Cardiff University.

Could a sentient robot be capable of sin? Rosa Hunt looks at some intriguing ethical and theological dilemmas arising from recent developments in AI or Artificial Intelligence. Some have claimed that a chatbot - Google's LaMDA program- shows signs of genuine sentience, and are already looking into the issue of rights for robots. Others dispute whether humans can ever successfully replicate true emotional intelligence, and fear the dangers of turning machines into humans, and humans into machines.

This programme was first broadcast in July.

American evangelist Franklin Graham is Roy Jenkins' guest, ahead of his 'God Loves You' preaching tour of the UK, which will include a meeting in Newport.

Franklin Graham is the elder son of the late Dr Billy Graham, the world’s most celebrated Christian evangelist of his day. It’s a tough act to follow, but for more than 20 years he’s headed up the global evangelistic organisation which bears his father’s name, preaching to more than 8 million people. For 40 years, he’s also led the related relief and development agency Samaritan’s Purse, which works in more than a hundred countries. These have long been multi-million dollar enterprises, and they give him significant influence in the United States, and take him to many places where humanitarian aid is desperately needed – most recently he was supporting teams in Ukraine. Franklin Graham is also a controversial figure, not least because of his support for Donald Trump, and certain well publicised statements on sexuality and on Islam. In this candid conversation, Roy Jenkins probes Franklin Graham's views on these and other issues, and also finds out what life was like growing up in the Graham household, with a father who could sometimes be away from home for as long as six months at a time.

This programme was first broadcast in May 2022.

This week Delyth Liddell explores the Quaker movement in Wales; their act of worship is spent together mostly in silence – a concept that isn’t necessarily easy to portray on radio. They’re also known as the Society of Friends or Crynwyr in Welsh. We find out more about the Quaker movement and witness at first hand how meeting in silence actually works.

Quakers are a Christian movement but what are their beliefs? This week is the 40th anniversary of the ending of the Falklands War. Conflicts in Iraq and Syria, and so many other places, including most recently, of course, Ukraine, continue to ravage our world. Quakers are known to err on the side of peace, but what about their beliefs in justice? How do Quaker’s respond to matters of war and peace?

During the programme we eavesdrop on a Meeting for Worship with Quakers in Bridgend, and also visit the Dolgellau Quaker Trail to learn about the persecution that took place in Wales in the 17th Century which led to an exodus of Quakers to settle in America. We also hear readings from two Quaker publications which are a guide to daily living.

Our guests: Pete Thompson, Ann Owen, Jane Harries, David Harries, Deana Owen, Christine Trevett, Deborah Rowlands and Catherine James.

Readings taken from two Quaker publications: Advices & Queries / Cynghorion a holiadau and Towards the Source – an anthology of poetry and prose written by Quakers throughout Wales.

For more information about the Quakers in Wales www.quakers.wales www.crynwyr.cymru

Quakers in Bridgend www.bridgendquakers.org.uk

Friends of Monze www.friendsofmonze.org

The Dolgellau Quaker Trail https://www.dwsoga.org.uk/en/quaker-walk-around-dolgellau

This programme was first broadcast in June 2022.

Is it possible to be believe in both science and in God? Rosa Hunt discusses the issue with a panel of guests which include Nick Spencer of the Theos Institute, mathematician and physicist Rev Dr Emma Whittick, and former science teacher Rev James Tout, together with members Year 6 of Llanilltud Faerdre Primary School.

This programme was first broadcast in May 2022.

As we mark twenty years since the 9/11 terror attacks: tragic events which changed the world, and continue to affect us today, Azim Ahmed explores the legacy of this event from the perspective of the Muslim community here in Wales.

Twenty years ago, British Muslims found themselves at the centre of extra scrutiny: there were questions about whether the politics of the hijackers were shared by Muslims here in Wales and whether the Twin Tower attacks were the beginning of an inevitable clash of civilisations between East and West.

There was also an increase in hostility and Islamophobia, as Muslims became a suspect community. We hear from members of the Muslim community who experienced this prejudice.

This crisis also led to positive change, with new initiatives, organisations, and an appetite for greater understanding between communities and religions. We hear how this inter-faith dialogue led to the foundation of the 'Wales Faith Communities Forum' which thrives today, and the foundation of the 'Muslim Council for Wales' to unify the faith community.

The shocking events of 9/11 took place 20 years ago this week, and this is the first of a number of BBC Radio Wales programmes marking the anniversary.

One of the responses to the ideology espoused by the 9/11 terrorists has been an attempt to export Western values, particularly those of democracy and human rights. But that’s just the latest episode in a long historical process: whether through the Cold War of the 20th century, or through the missionary activity of colonial nations in the 19th century and earlier, there’s been a belief that Western Judeo-Christian values and systems offer something uniquely important to the world – indeed that it’s a responsibility to share them.

So what do today’s peacekeepers and aid workers have in common with historical colonialists and missionaries? What’s been learned from past mistakes? And since the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, and President Biden’s declaration of an end to American nation-building, what’s left for the idea of Western values?

Roy Jenkins talks to

Colonel Richard Kemp: former commander of UK forces in Afghan Dr John Wilsey: Associate Professor of Church History and Philosophy, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Prof Andrew May: Head of the History Program at the University of Melbourne Dr Elaine Storkey: former chair of Tear Fund