Power of religion at Cop28; Shane McGowan's Catholicism; Near-death experiences

Published: Dec. 3, 2023, 8:02 a.m.

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Faith is front and centre at Cop28 this weekend. The Pope may have missed the climate summit because of health problems but for the first time at the gathering , a Faith Pavilion has been erected. Edward looks at the role religions can play in mobilising support for action on climate change.

Hear about the near death experience involving bright lights and angelic figures that turned a manual labourer into an artist and composer

Edward talks to priest Eugene O'Hagan about the faith of Shane McGowan who died this week at the age of 65. The Pogues's singer described himself as a 'religious fanatic' and a 'free-thinking Catholic'. We'll hear how important his religion was to life and his work.

A World Health Organization team in Gaza has described scenes in the hospitals there as \\u201clike a horror movie\\u201d, even before the bombing started again this week. Dr Ghassan Abu Sittah, a British-Palestinian surgeon who operated on patients at the Anglican-run al-Ahli hospital in Gaza, has now returned to the UK and tells Edward Stourton about his experiences.

Edward hears from Rachel Goldberg, whose son Hersh was badly wounded when he was taken hostage by Hamas

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