Israel Gaza conflict; Rochdale Labour; Rave in the nave

Published: Feb. 18, 2024, 8:18 a.m.

Israeli troops are set to advance into the Gazan city of Rafah, defying international pleas to reconsider. Some 1.4 million Palestinians are sheltering there. \nThe UK House of Bishops is calling for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict. The Sunday programme spoke to Bishop of Worchester Dr John Inge.

Sir Keir Starmer has defended his handling of the antisemitism row in his party as a Muslim candidate is withdrawn from the race in Rochdale. \nWilliam Crawley speaks to Marc Levy - the chief executive of the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and Mohammed Shafiq, National Executive Committee member of PCS Union and Chief Executive and founding member of the\xa0Ramadhan Foundation\xa0which is one of the UK's leading Muslim youth organisations.

Church buildings have opened their doors and held public events for centuries; Choral Evensong, Classical concerts and in more recent times, Lego building and Crazy Golf. But this year, many cathedrals across the country are taking it a step further and hosting 80s, 90s and 00s themed \u2018Silent Discos\u2019. Canterbury Cathedral recently hosted two sold-out nights with an attendance of 3,000 people at \xa325 per ticket. But not everyone agrees. Some critics have questioned whether this is an \u2018appropriate\u2019 use of sacred space, and a petition campaigning against the events has amassed over two thousand signatures. So what is an \u2018appropriate\u2019 use of a sacred space?\nWilliam Crawley speaks to the Dean of St Albans, Jo Kelly-Moore.

Presenter: William Crawley\nProducers: Bara'atu Ibrahim and Linda Walker\nProduction Coordinator: David Baguley\nEditor: Tim Pemberton