Sunday

Catholics around the world will be waiting to see Pope Leo this lunchtime, after he left hospital just yesterday following his operation to treat lung cancer. He's due to make his usual midday address and pray the Angelus from his window overlooking St Peter's Square in Rome - just seven days since he made the announcement which shocked the world that he was to have surgery. His return to public life is remarkably swift, but questions remain about the long term future of his health - not least whether the cancer found in his lung has spread. Earlier this week, one of his top diplomats Archbishop Sir Paul Gallagher, who works closely with Pope Leo in the Vatican, was in London giving a lecture for the Catholic newspaper The Tablet.
A series of Houthi missile attacks on Saudi Arabia this week has activated a newly-created defence alliance the country has formed with Turkey and Pakistan. Known as the 'Mecca Pact' - it was signed in the holy city this summer and is modelled on article five of the NATO agreement, which states that an attack on one is deemed an attack on all. It's raised questions over whether it's solely a military alliance - or, given each is a Sunni majority country - it heralds the emergence of a distinctly Islamic security bloc.
With diesel prices topping £2.00 a litre for the first time in the past couple of weeks, there will be plenty feeling the pinch and making sacrifices in their daily lives. Included in those grappling with the costs, are rural vicars and ministers, who often rack up hundreds of miles a month serving multiple parishes. We checked in with a few to see how they're managing with their travel.
Presenter: Julie Etchingham
Producers: Katy Booth and Bara'atu Ibrahim
Studio Managers: Nat Stokes, Helen Williams and Isabelle Whitehead
Editor: Catherine Murray

A look at the ethical and religious issues of the week with Emily Buchanan.

On Friday Chris Brain, former leader of a Church group aimed at young people, was found guilty of one count of rape and four charges of sexual assault. It follows a separate trial last year. The verdicts mean Brain has now been convicted of a total of 22 sexual offences against 13 women. Julie Etchingham speaks to Andrew Graystone, theologian and advocate for survivors of abuse in the church
This week marks one hundred years of BBC Choral Evensong, one of the longest-running music broadcasts anywhere in the world. Since 1926, generations of listeners have discovered cathedral and collegiate choirs through the programme, whether from great churches and cathedrals across Britain or from further afield. Leading next week's special centenary broadcast from Westminster Abbey is the Abbey's organist and master of the choristers, Andrew Nethsingha. He tells Julie Etchingham what it means to him personally to be leading this historic broadcast.
Tammy Sandhu, after 20 years in the diplomatic service, has just become the UK's ambassador to the Holy See. Born in Leicester, ambassador Sandhu is the first woman from an ethnic minority background to hold the prestigious role. Tammy tells us what she has made of Vatican City so far.
The Catholic and Anglican Archbishops of Armagh, the Primates of all Ireland have been speaking to Sunday about two of the biggest challenges of their time: AI and the continuing standoff in Drumcree.
Presenter: Julie Etchingham
Producers: Bara'atu Ibrahim & Katy Booth
Studio Managers: Jonathan Esp & Ben Houghton
Editor: Catherine Murray

For decades Jehovah's Witnesses have refused blood transfusions on religious grounds. That policy has now changed. Members may now decide for themselves whether to accept or donate red or white blood cells, plasma and platelets, although the ban on whole blood transfusions remains. Supporters say the move reflects a refined understanding of scripture, while critics argue it raises difficult questions about those who suffered or died under the previous policy.
Many of the word’s big tech bosses joined President Trump and China's Xi Jinping for the White House state dinner this week. A clear signal for many that billionaires are at the top table, influencing politics. They have extraordinary wealth and power, but what should their responsibility be to the rest of society? Nick Hanauer has just shy of a billion from a career in business. He explains why he's committed to giving half of it away.
Laurence Oliver was one of the greatest actors of his generation. This month marks 35 years since his ashes were interred in Poet’s Corner in Westminster Abbey. New research has now come to light about the huge influence of his vicar father on his career.
Presenter: Emily Buchanan
Producers: Dan Tierney and Liberty Phelan
Editor: Chloe Walker.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has withdrawn an interfaith award from a Pakistani cleric, days after presenting it on the 25 anniversary of 9/11. Comments from 2007 resurfaced in which Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi said he would give Osama bin Laden the title "Sword of God". He told the BBC his comments have been taken out of context. William Crawley speaks to Dr Edward Kessler, President of the Woolf Institute, which promotes understanding between Jews, Christians and Muslims.
It's the centenary of John Coltrane's birth on Wednesday. In 1965 a young couple in San Francisco say they experienced a 'sound baptism' watching John Coltrane play. They went on to set up the The St. John Will-I-Am Coltrane African Orthodox Church - where the late saxophonist is venerated as a saint. We hear from BBC's Ben Cottam, who has been to San Francisco to attend the church’s Sunday service
Row over a controversial Quran burial site in West Yorkshire. Residents in Sowerby Bridge are demanding the removal of a large marble structure they say has been built without permission and is linked to the burial of thousands of worn-out Quran. More than twelve hundred people have signed a petition for its removal. The site's users say it's simply a place to rest and garden, and that burying sacred texts is entirely lawful. Adam Wilkinson is a Labour Councillor representing Sowerby Bridge on Calderdale Council. Beyond those planning issues, the Sunday programme turns to Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, an Imam in Leicester to tell us why disused copies of the Quran are buried in the first place.
Presenter: William Crawley
Producers: Bara'atu Ibrahim & Katy Booth
Studio Managers: Sharon Hughes & Georgia mae-Browne
Editor: Tim Pemberton