The Religion and Ethics Report - Separate stories podcast

As the cardinals enter the conclave to choose a successor to Pope Francis, CLAIRE GIANGRAVE of the Religion News Service profiles the front-runners.

Why did the Coalition perform so poorly among multicultural voters, even though many communities are highly religious, socially conservative and committed to a small business ethic that aligns well with Liberal Party values? The Liberals' most successful leader with ethnic voters, former NSW Premier BARRY O'FARRELL, who notched a stunning victory winning 65 percent of the vote in 2011, has some lessons for his party.

Back in Rome, ABC Religion specialist NOEL DEBIEN discusses the factors that will influence the cardinals as they choose a new pope. 

As the cardinals enter the conclave to choose a successor to Pope Francis, CLAIRE GIANGRAVE of the Religion News Service profiles the front-runners.Why did the Coalition perform so poorly among multicultural voters, even though many communities are highly religious, socially conservative and committed to a small business ethic that aligns well with Liberal Party values? The Liberals' most successful leader with ethnic voters, former NSW Premier BARRY O'FARRELL, who notched a stunning victory winning 65 percent of the vote in 2011, has some lessons for his party.Back in Rome, ABC Religion specialist NOEL DEBIEN discusses the factors that will influence the cardinals as they choose a new pope. 

Andrew West speaks to Deacon George Peich Meat, the Permanent Deacon of St Mary's Dandenong,  and St Mary of the Cross, Mordialloc. He shares the story of his chance encounter with Pope Francis in South Sudan and reflects on the legacy of the late Pope on himself and his congregation.

From St Peters Square, across from the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican,  NOEL DEBIEN speaks to Austen Ivereigh,  a UK-based writer and journalist who has written extensively on and with Pope Francis, and is a well known commentator on the convictions of the Catholic Church.He shares his insights into the secrecy, intrigue and drama of the conclave and the world of the Vatican

In a pre-election broadcast from Parramatta Square, Professor Awais Piracha of Western Sydney University and Melissa Montiero of the Community Migrant Resource Centre discuss how religion could influence the result in heavily multicultural seats in Western Sydney and Melbourne, in particular.In another election, where only 135 votes are cast, what is the politicking behind the choice of the next pope? Jesuit priest and political scientist Thomas Reese, author of the classic book Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church, discusses the factors that will influence the cardinals.

In another election, where only 135 votes are cast, what is the politicking behind the choice of the next pope? Jesuit priest and political scientist Thomas Reese, author of the classic book Inside the Vatican: The Politics and Organization of the Catholic Church, discusses the factors that will influence the cardinals.

Simulcast with ABC TV and News Radio, Radio National's Religion and Ethics presents the funeral mass of His Holiness Pope Francis.Anchored from the Ultimo studios by ABC News presenter Jeremy Fernandez, the special features a panel of religion experts, including The Religion and Ethics Report host Andrew West, The Minefield's Scott Stephens, and Clare Johnson, Director of the ACU Centre for Liturgy and Professor of Liturgical Studies and Sacramental Theology at Australian Catholic University. With live crosses from St Peter's Square in Vatican City by Kathryn Diss — ABC's Europe Correspondent, Geraldine Doogue — Host, ABC Radio National, and Noel Debien — Religion specialist, ABC Radio National and Compass. 

MARK SHRIVER has spent much of his life around power. He was a successful Democratic Party politician and he's a Kennedy. JFK and Bobby were his uncles and his father, Sargent Shriver ran for vice-president. But he's also had a life of service, working with disadvantaged kids. A decade ago, grappling with his own Catholicism, he became fascinated with the relatively new Pope Francis. He wanted to recharge his faith. The result was an extraordinary book, Pilgrimage: My Search for the Real Pope Francis. We spoke with Mark when the book came out in 2017 but this week, we caught up again.

Within days, perhaps even hours of Pope Francis's funeral, the discreet meetings will begin among the 135 cardinals who will elect the next Pope. When the doors close on the conclave, we won't – strictly speaking, shouldn't – know anything until a new pope appears on the balcony of St Peter's Square. But what happens in the crucial days leading up to the conclave as candidates start to emerge. FRANCIS CAMPBELL is vice chancellor of Notre Dame University in Australia. He also served as the UK ambassador to the Holy See.

Claire Giangrave from the Religion News Service is in Rome where the city is preparing for the funeral of Pope Francis. There's a guest list including princes, presidents, and prime ministers. Why is this funeral as much a geopolitical event as a centuries-old religious rite?

Claire Giangrave from the Religion News Service is in Rome where the city is preparing for the funeral of Pope Francis. There's a guest list including princes, presidents, and prime ministers. Why is this funeral as much a geopolitical event as a centuries-old religious rite?Within days, perhaps even hours of Pope Francis's funeral, the discreet meetings will begin among the 135 cardinals who will elect the next Pope. When the doors close on the conclave, we won't – strictly speaking, shouldn't – know anything until a new pope appears on the balcony of St Peter's Square. But what happens in the crucial days leading up to the conclave as candidates start to emerge. FRANCIS CAMPBELL is vice chancellor of Notre Dame University in Australia. He also served as the UK ambassador to the Holy See.MARK SHRIVER has spent much of his life around power. He was a successful Democratic Party politician and he's a Kennedy. JFK and Bobby were his uncles and his father, Sargent Shriver ran for vice-president. But he's also had a life of service, working with disadvantaged kids. A decade ago, grappling with his own Catholicism, he became fascinated with the relatively new Pope Francis. He wanted to recharge his faith. The result was an extraordinary book, Pilgrimage: My Search for the Real Pope Francis. We spoke with Mark when the book came out in 2017 but this week, we caught up again.

Andrew West hosts a special Radio National Religion and Ethics broadcast.Joining him in the studio are Radio National Religion specialists Geraldine Doogue and Noel Debien.We are marking the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis who died early Easter Monday morningWe cross around the world for reactions to this news.GUESTS:Claire Giangrave - Religion News Service in RomeJesuit priest Father Frank Brennan Professor Phyllis Zagano - Former Francis advisor on womenCardinal Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo - Archbishop of JakartaBishop William Shomali of Jerusalem

During the church-led civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s, many strove for a society that was colour blind. Purging prejudice meant looking beyond race to a common humanity.But for African-American writer TYLER AUSTIN HARPER, today's anti-racism movement erects barriers, demands discomfort, denies the possibility of friendship, even love across racial lines.In a major essay for The Atlantic, he calls for a "good colour-blindness".PlusThrowing yourself at the mercy of a higher power, seeking forgiveness, committing to strict behaviour, even thought. Once upon a time, you'd think of religion.But today, it's the social justice movement that demands very public repentance.IAN BURUMA is a leading intellectual in America and Europe. A former editor of The New York Review of Books, he's now a professor at Bard College in New York. His essay for Harper's magazine is called "Doing the Work".

Rebuilding relationships between Israelis and Palestinians in a land they're fated to share.An impossible task, you might think, as the war in Gaza grinds on.But one Israeli-Australian author, educator and peace-builder won't let go of his vision for harmony in Israel and Palestine.And he has a plan to achieve it.ITTAY FLESCHER runs joint education programs for Jewish and Arab students in Jerusalem.His new book is The Holy and the Broken: A cry for Israeli-Palestinian peace from a land that must be shared.

EASTER WEEKThe Easter season is not just a time of spiritual trial – not just a reflection on the Easter story of sacrifice and redemption. Many Christians, and other people of faith, persevere in the face of real danger in regions convulsed by conflict. One of those places is Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A mixture of calm and fear now prevails in the city since rebels from the so-called M23 group took over in January. MARTIN GORDON is the Anglican Bishop of Goma, where he leads a church of about 12,000 people.In Myanmar/Burma, the UN High Commission for Refugees estimates 17 million people are dealing with the effects of a massive earthquake at the end of March. Even before the catastrophe, aid agencies said 20 million Burmese were relying on aid to survive in a country torn by civil war since a military coup in 2021. Caritas is a Catholic relief agency with operations across the country. SALLY THOMAS is the humanitarian manager.This year, Easter is enfolded in a federal election, so it's the perfect time to ask how Christians should take part in politics. How should they submit to the power of the state, even when it challenges their core beliefs? Dr MARK FOWLER is a lawyer and academic. His new book tries to answer some of these tough questions. It's called Beauty and the Law.

In our Students Week panel this week, MARLEY KROK grew up in the Mormon faith but is now secular and MAGGIE PAUL is an Indian-born Catholic-turned-Buddhist, who's in an interfaith marriage to a Muslim husband. They discuss how their faith lives have shaped their academic interests, the relevance of their PhD research to the upcoming election, and the challenges and rewards of being mature students in 2025.

MARLEY KROK grew up in the Mormon faith but is now secular and MAGGIE PAUL is an Indian-born Catholic-turned-Buddhist, who's in an interfaith marriage to a Muslim husband. They discuss how their faith lives have shaped their academic interests, the relevance of their PhD research to the upcoming election, and the challenges and rewards of being mature students in 2025.Sociologist Dr Anna Halafoff of Deakin University looks at some US research suggesting pious students have higher grades and delves into the growth of non-Christian faith-based schools in Australia.Related Material2024 Educating for a diverse Australia

In 2025, in a country that's now minority Christian, a South Australian man who allegedly broke into a church faces a charge … of sacrilege.It's an offence many probably thought had long disappeared from the law. Dr RENAE BARKER is a senior lecturer specialising in law and religion at the University of Western Australia.

Australia's Reserve Bank has left interest rates on hold. In an election, especially, interest rates are always a political challenge.But paying extra on a loan is also known as usury. It's an ancient concept with Biblical roots.GUEST:PETER KURTI is co-author of a new paper for the Centre for Independent Studies. It's called Interest, Usury and the Common Good.

In an election campaign dominated by cost-of-living pressures, energy supplies, and an assertive China, is there any room for religion as a political issue?GUEST:Professor JOSHUA ROOSE of the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation. 

It's a crime many thought was a relic of decades past. But South Australian police have charged a man … with sacrilege.In an election campaign dominated by cost-of-living pressures, energy supplies, and an assertive China, is there any room for religion as a political issue?Paying extra on a loan is also known as usury. It's an ancient concept with Biblical roots.GUESTS:Professor JOSHUA ROOSE of the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation.Dr RENAE BARKER is a senior lecturer specialising in law and religion at the University of Western Australia.PETER KURTI of the Centre for Independent Studies. His paper, co-authored with Ian Harper is Interest, Usury and the Common Good.

Mass demonstrations have roiled Turkiye's biggest city of Istanbul. Protesters are angry at the jailing of the popular mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, on corruption charges that they say are concocted. The mayor was shaping up as the strongest rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who's been in power for 22 years.

What's the verdict on the 2025 budget, announced this week by Treasurer Jim Chalmers, from those who work with Australia's most vulnerable people? 

What's the verdict on the 2025 budget, announced this week by Treasurer Jim Chalmers, from those who work with Australia's most vulnerable people? SUE KING is manager of advocacy and research at the faith-based welfare agency Anglicare Sydney.Mass demonstrations have roiled Turkiye's biggest city of Istanbul. Protesters are angry at the jailing of the popular mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu, on corruption charges that they say are concocted. The mayor was shaping up as the strongest rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who's been in power for 22 years. While public support for Erdogan has slipped markedly, for much of his rule, he's been popular. In large measure, that's because Erdogan's leaned heavily into Turkiye's religious culture. David Tonge is author of the new book, The Enduring Hold of Islam in Turkey: The Revival of Religious Orders and the Rise of Erdogan.

The re-election of Donald Trump last November thrilled many on the right, especially nationalists wanting to adapt his America First ideology to their own countries. And some Christians looked past Trump's personal history of multiple divorce and sexual scandal to suggest this was an age of religious rebirth.But for one of Britain's leading conservatives, Donald Trump, and the United States itself, are poor role models for true conservatives. Peter Hitchens is a popular columnist for The Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday.

Australia's High Court recently upheld a long-standing law that says priests are not employees of their churches. They are “office holders”. So where does this leave the large majority of clergy ? 

2025 is a jubilee year for the Catholic Church, traditionally a time for renewal and the forgiveness of debt and sin. For millions of Catholics, it also brings an opportunity for a pilgrimage to Rome – and that would normally involve being part of a mass or public prayer led by the Pope. But with Pope Francis still in recovery from double pneumonia, pilgrims are finding new ways to mark the jubilee. Hermione Kitson reports from Rome.

Why are clergy regarded as office holders rather than staff? We speak to  Reverend Chris Bedding,  an Anglican priest and executive officer of the Faith Workers Alliance.   2025 is a jubilee year for the Catholic Church, traditionally a time for renewal and the forgiveness of debt and sin.  But with Pope Francis still in recovery from double pneumonia, pilgrims are finding new ways to mark the jubilee.And why are Donald Trump, and the United States itself,  poor role models for true conservatives. Andrew West speaks with Peter Hitchens, a popular conservative columnist for The Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday.

The Catholic nuns ran Ward 17 at St Vincent's Hospital, where they nursed hundreds of HIV AIDS patients. Sister Nolan remembers David Polson and the prejudice he and other patients encountered.

In the global south, the pope's message about poverty and climate change resounds loudly.

An uneasy calm had settled over Syria, and religious minorities were more hopeful they could survive the new regime. But what are the implications of recent clashes with loyalists to the Assad regime?

What are the implications of recent clashes with loyalists to the Assad regime?The Sisters of Charity ran Ward 17 at St Vincent's Hospital, where they nursed hundreds of HIV AIDS patients. Sister Nolan remembers David Polson and the prejudice he and other patients encountered.And why  does the pope's message about poverty and climate change resound loudly in the global south?

The word woke has gone from badge of pride to insult. Those who have embraced so-called wokeness say they are promoting social justice. But to sociologist and author Musa al-Gharbi, it's social justice for the comfortable.

Pope Francis has revealed  he's written a resignation letter -- but without a date. So what happens if the Pope slips into unconsciousness? Who's responsible for leading 1.3 billion Catholics?

Pope Francis has revealed he's written a resignation letter-without a date ; and how did the word woke go from badge of pride to insult?

What sort of legacy will Pope Francis leave, not just in the church but in global politics where he's been a heavy hitter? And, the German elections have delivered a major rise in support for the far-right.

Francis is in the winter of his papacy. Even when his health rallies a bit, everyone from the Archbishop of Sydney Anthony Fisher to his counterpart in New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, have said the same thing – a historic papacy has probably entered its finale.

Elections in Germany have delivered a major rise in support for the far-right nationalist party Alternative for Deutschland. It ran second to the centre-right Christian Democrats. What role did immigration play in the result?

Hearings begin in the NSW parliament to examine the impacts of porn on young people, Pope Francis challenges JD Vance on Catholic teaching and immigration, and which countries around the world support religious nationalism.

Pope Francis is currently in hospital in Rome, being treated for pneumonia. He's been suffering a long-running respiratory illness. But it hasn't stopped him wading into one of the fiercest debates in the United States.