Pope Leo flies east next week on his first overseas visit as pontiff. He goes first to Türkiye, a country where the Christian population has dwindled to less than one per-cent.  He’ll meet the Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholemew, who leads most of the world’s Orthodox Christians, and with the controversial president of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan’s been styling himself as a new sultan of the broader Islamic world.  But it will be the second leg of Leo’s trip, to Lebanon, that’s potentially more challenging. Christians are around a third of the population but there are real fears that external actors, including Iran and Israel, could destabilise the fragile religious settlement that has survived for more than 30 years.  Dr ROULA TALHOUK is the director of the Institute for Muslim-Christian Studies at St Joseph’s University in Beirut. For Donald Trump’s administration, there are a few more inviting targets than America’s universities.  Ivy League institutions, including Harvard, Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania, have lost federal funds and been subject to more direct government control.  The administration claims it is trying to combat campus domination by the ideological left.  Philosophy professor YUVAL AVNUR of Scripps College, and two colleagues, Stephanie Muravchik and Jon Shields, were especially worried about these attacks and began to investigate the allegations of bias in university and college courses. They published part of their results in the online journal, Persuasion.   GUESTS: Dr Roula Talhouk, director of the Institute for Muslim-Christian Studies at St Joseph’s University in Beirut. Professor Yuval Avnur of Scripps College, California. This show was made on the lands of the Gadigal People

Pope Leo flies east next week on his first overseas visit as pontiff. He goes first to Türkiye, a country where the Christian population has dwindled to less than one per-cent.  He’ll meet the Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholemew, who leads most of the world’s Orthodox Christians, and with the controversial president of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.  Erdogan’s been styling himself as a new sultan of the broader Islamic world.  But it will be the second leg of Leo’s trip to Lebanon that’s potentially more challenging.  Christians are around a third of the population but there are real fears that external actors, including Iran and Israel, could destabilise the fragile religious settlement that has survived for more than 30 years.  GUEST: Dr Roula Talhouk, director of the Institute for Muslim-Christian Studies at St Joseph’s University in Beirut. Related story - Taybeh is the last predominantly Christian village left in the West Bank 

For Donald Trump’s administration, there are a few more inviting targets than America’s universities.  Ivy League institutions, including Harvard, Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania, have lost federal funds and been subject to more direct government control.  The administration claims it is trying to combat campus domination by the ideological left.  Philosophy professor YUVAL AVNUR of Scripps College, and two colleagues, Stephanie Muravchik and Jon Shields, were especially worried about these attacks and began to investigate the allegations of bias in university and college courses.  They published part of their results in the online journal, Persuasion.  

There has been an escalation of Israeli settler violence against Palestinian villagers, which include destruction of olive trees and armed incursions, often by minors. But there's help at hand for these olive farmers bringing in their harvest, which began in earnest at the beginning of October. It comes from Rabbis For Human Rights – an Israeli organisation who gather groups of Israeli volunteers to help protect the farmers from the settler raids and help with the harvest.  GUEST: Anton Goodman is Director of Partnerships at Rabbis for Human Rights.

While the shaky ceasefire in Gaza dominates the news from Israel, according to the UN, radical Jewish settlers in the Palestinian West Bank have committed more than 700 attacks so far this year on Palestinians and their property. But one group of Israelis is standing with the Palestinians, especially the farmers trying to harvest their olives, which are a key source of income. Rabbis for Human Rights brings together liberal, Orthodox and Conservative rabbis opposed to the militant settlers. Their spokesman is ANTON GOODMAN.  Hollywood comes to the Vatican this weekend, as Pope Leo hosts a bevy of actors, actresses, directors, and producers, including Australian Cate Blanchett. The first American pope has also released a list of his favourite movies, all of them Oscar winners. The Vatican correspondent for Reuters JOSHUA MCELWEE will be close to the red carpet. Tech mogul Peter Thiel is best known as the man who inspired then helped bankroll the political career of US Vice President JD Vance. He made his fortune with PayPal but he’s building a reputation as a quasi-preacher, preoccupied with the biblical notions of Armageddon and the devil. ADRIAN DAUB, a professor of literature and German at Stanford University, has been following Peter Thiel’s deep dive into apocalyptic thinking. GUESTS: Anton Goodman is Director of Partnerships at Rabbis for Human Rights. Joshua McElwee Vatican Correspondent for Reuters Professor Adrian Daub from Stanford University This program was made on the lands of the Gadigal People

Hollywood comes to the Vatican this weekend, as Pope Leo hosts a bevy of actors, actresses, directors, and producers, including Australian Cate Blanchett. The first American pope has also released a list of his favourite movies, all of them Oscar winners.  The Vatican correspondent for Reuters JOSHUA MCELWEE will be close to the red carpet.

The second richest man in the world and tech bro extraordinaire, Peter Thiel, has lately been giving lectures on Armageddon and the Antichrist to rapt audiences.  These lectures attempt to fuse beliefs about technology and religion.  Adrian Daub was unable to get one of the sold out tickets, but has been following these lecture tours with great interest. GUEST: Professor Adrian Daub, a German literary scholar and Professor of German and Comparative Literature at Stanford University

One of the geopolitical tactics Russia has used in its war with Ukraine has been to divide opinion among the world’s Orthodox Christians.  Vladimir Putin is not the first Russian leader to style himself as a champion of Orthodox communities but in Greece and the Middle East, he’s tried to marshal sympathy among Christians. Dr MANOS KARAGIANNIS specialises in international security at Kings College, London.  He was in Australia recently with the Affinity Intercultural Foundation.

A group linked to the Al Qaeda Islamist network is closing in on the capital of Mali, in north-west Africa.  This group, known as JNIM, now controls swathes of territory in the Sahel, a region that stretches across several countries in the Sahara.  If JNIM takes the capital, Bamako, it would be the first time an Al Qaeda affiliate has seized power in a country.  What would that mean for Africa and the Islamic world?  GUEST: Dr Tessa Deveraux- Assistant Professor in Politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London

A group linked to the Al Qaeda Islamist network is closing in on the capital of Mali, in north-west Africa. This group, known as JNIM, now controls swathes of territory in the Sahel, a region that stretches across several countries in the Sahara. If JNIM takes the capital, Bamako, it would be the first time an Al Qaeda affiliate has seized power in a country. What would that mean for Africa and the Islamic world? Dr TESSA DEVEREAUX has been analysing the situation. On the fiftieth anniversary of the dismissal of the Whitlam government, you’ll hear many theories about Gough Whitlam’s downfall. But ROY WILLIAMS has explored one reason that by no means caused but may have contributed to the events of November 11, 1975. Williams is the author of In God They Trust: The Religious Beliefs of Australia’s Prime Ministers. He also has a very personal connection. His late father, Evan Williams, was a speechwriter and long-time confidante of Whitlam. Roy wonders if a throwaway insult about the faith of then Queensland premier Joh Bjelke Petersen hardened the resolve of Whitlam’s opponents. One of the geopolitical tactics Russia has used in its war with Ukraine has been to divide opinion among the world’s Orthodox Christians. Vladimir Putin is not the first Russian leader to style himself as a champion of Orthodox communities but in Greece and the Middle East, he’s tried to marshal sympathy among Christians. Dr MANOS KARAGIANNIS aas in Australia recently with the Affinity Intercultural Foundation. GUESTS: Dr Tessa Deveraux- Assistant Professor in Politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London Professor Roy Williams - legal academic and author Dr Manos Karagiannis specialises in international security at Kings College, London. This program was made on the lands of the Gadigal People

While the tragedy of Gaza never seems to leave the headlines, the war in Ukraine dips in and out of the news.  That’s despite the past six months seeing the most intensive fighting of the conflict.  Tetiana Stawnychy heads the Ukraine operation of the aid agency Caritas.  She’s in Australia meeting supporters and explains what day to day life is like in the capital Kiev, and the complexities of the agency's work across war-torn Ukraine. GUEST: Tetiana Stawnychy, President of Caritas Ukraine, based in Kyiv, Ukraine

The early 1990s was, for Catholics, a time of political ascendancy – a Catholic prime minister, governor-general, and five of the seven high court justices.  One of them was Sir Gerard Brennan, whose most famous judgement was the Mabo decision granting native title to indigenous Australians.  How did his religion influence his decisions as a judge?  His son, Jesuit priest Frank Brennan, has released a two volume-collection of his father’s articles and speeches, giving an extraordinary insight into the thinking of a jurist who helped shape Australian law. GUEST:  Father Frank Brennan Jesuit priest, human rights lawyer and academic

While the tragedy of Gaza never seems to leave the headlines, the war in Ukraine dips in and out of the news. That’s despite the past six months seeing the most intensive fighting of the conflict.  Tetiana Stawnychy heads the Ukraine operation of the aid agency Caritas. She’s in Australia meeting supporters. The early 1990s was, for Catholics, a time of political ascendancy – a Catholic prime minister, governor-general, and five of the seven high court justices. One of them was Sir Gerard Brennan, whose most famous judgement was the Mabo decision granting native title to indigenous Australians.  How did his religion influence his decisions as a judge? His son, Jesuit priest Frank Brennan, has released a two volume-collection of his father’s articles and speeches, giving an extraordinary insight into the thinking of a jurist who helped shape Australian law. GUESTS: Tetiana Stawnychy, President of Caritas Ukraine, based in Kyiv, Ukraine Father Frank Brennan Jesuit priest, human rights lawyer and academic During the COVID pandemic emergency physician Stephen Parnis from St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne was a prominent medical voice.  Dr Parnis will be giving the 2025 lecture to the Plunkett Centre for Ethics on Wednesday November 5 in Sydney at the Australian Catholic University. This program was made on the lands of the Gadigal People

How can Christians and other religious believers live out their faith when many of its principles conflict, not only with new social norms but the laws of the land?  Patrick Parkinson is the former dean of the Queensland University law school and an internationally recognised expert on child protection.  He tries to chart a course in his new book, Unshaken Allegiance: Living wisely as Christians with Diminishing Religious Freedoms. GUEST: Patrick Parkinson is Emeritus Professor of Law at the University of Queensland

King Charles and Pope Leo will have their first meeting this week at the Vatican.  But it will be much more than a meeting of two heads of state. For the first time in 500 years, the leader of the Catholic church and the supreme governor of the Church of England, which broke away from Rome in the 1530s, will pray together publicly in the Sistine Chapel.  They’ll devote their prayers to their shared concerns about the environment, religious harmony and global peace.  GUEST: Luke Coppen is UK editor of The Pillar, a website that covers the Catholic world

Fiji is facing an HIV crisis, with one of the fastest growing rates of infection in the Asia-Pacific.  The number of people with HIV has more than tripled in the past six years. It now stands at just over 6,000.  The Uniting Church’s overseas agency is working with local health authorities.  GUEST: Alice Salomon is the head of United advocacy and she’s just back from the capital, Suva

King Charles and Pope Leo will have their first meeting this week at the Vatican. But it will be much more than a meeting of two heads of state. For the first time in 500 years, the leader of the Catholic church and the supreme governor of the Church of England, which broke away from Rome in the 1530s, will pray together publicly in the Sistine Chapel. They’ll devote their prayers to their shared concerns about the environment, religious harmony and global peace.  Fiji is facing an HIV crisis, with one of the fastest growing rates of infection in the Asia-Pacific. The number of people with HIV has more than tripled in the past six years. It now stands at just over 6,000. The Uniting Church’s overseas agency is working with local health authorities.  How can Christians and other religious believers live out their faith when many of its principles conflict, not only with new social norms but the laws of the land? Patrick Parkinson is the former dean of the Queensland University law school and an internationally recognised expert on child protection. He tries to chart a course in his new book, Unshaken Allegiance: Living wisely as Christians with Diminishing Religious Freedoms. GUESTS: Luke Coppen is UK editor of The Pillar, a website that covers the Catholic world Alice Salomon is the head of United advocacy and she’s just back from the capital, Suva Patrick Parkinson is Emeritus Professor of Law at the University of Queensland This program was made on the lands of the Gadigal People

Sarah Mullally may be a historic choice as the new Archbishop of Canterbury but how will she deal with the chasm that has opened in the world-wide Anglican Church in recent years?  The church of 85 million followers is deeply divided over sexuality and gender.  Is there also a lingering opposition to women as bishops and even priests?  GUEST: Australian priest Andrew McGowan is dean of the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University and a former editor of The Journal of Anglican Studies.

Pope Leo XIV has issued his first major statement since assuming office. In a “papal exhortation” titled I Have Loved You, he echoes Francis’s concern about deepening economic inequality.  At a time when tech moguls have amassed extraordinary fortunes, Leo has some tough words about hoarding wealth.  GUEST: Dr Sandie Cornish is Senior Lecturer in the School of Theology at the Australian Catholic University and specialises in the field of Catholic Social Teaching

A former legal adviser to the Palestinian Authority, Victor Kattan, examines the reality of the Trump plan for Gaza. He also discusses why an almost 100-year-old case of British war crimes in Palestine could haunt events today. GUEST: Victor Kattan is Assistant Professor in Public International Law at the University of Nottingham and wrote a piece for the Religion and Ethics website on British war crimes in Palestine in 1935