Sunday Folgen

On Friday, President Biden will mark his first 100 days in office. Each day he has received a letter written by a religious scholar about a pressing issue of the day. William is joined by the founder of '100 Days, 100 Letters' Rabbi Andrea Weiss. The issue of racism has become a common theme over the early days of this presidency and in the week of the conviction of the former policeman Derek Chauvin for the killing of George Floyd Andrea shares some of the letters that explore the divisons and rifts many Americans are trying to resolve. Also we hear from Patrick Ngwolo the lead pastor at Resurrection Houston who knew George Floyd as a friend.The long awaited report from the Church of England's Archbishops' Anti-Racism Taskforce was released this week. It aims to bring about 'a change of culture in the life of the church.' But does it go far enough and what is being done differently to ensure the recommendations are acted on? We hear from a former race advisor to the church and two members of the taskforce, Rev Sonia Barron, Co-chair of the taskforce and the Ven Neil Warwick, Archdeacon of Bristol.The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby tells Sunday how he intends to ensure that there is meaningful change throughout the church to address racism.And relax with Spring sounds and spiritual uplift as we walk the new Northern Saints Trails with Reverend Eileen Harrop and trail creator David Pott. They’ll take the slow route in the footsteps of Cuthbert, Hilda, Oswald and Bede - part of a revival of the time-honoured tradition of pilgrimage. We would love to hear your stories of pilgrimage - where did you go and what did you learn on the road? You can contact us at sunday@bbc.co.ukProducers: David Cook and Alistair Kleebauer

Are you feeling stressed by the pandemic? You could try Sufi meditation to music. Sufism is a form of Islamic mysticism that emphasises introspection and spiritual connection but the meditation can work whether you are of other faiths, or none. When the pandemic began the Sufi music group Zendeh Delan decided to create Sufi-inspired music to aid meditation and broaden its appeal. The result is an album fusing Persian with western orchestral instruments and it is now being used in hospitals and clinics. We talk to musician Omid Asgari about what he calls "the music of the soul" and to clinical psychologist Dr Saloumeh Bozorgzadeh about how she uses it in her practice. As the United States mourns the victims of the shooting at Indianapolis, Emily talks to Jennifer Hubbard, mother of six year old Catherine, who was one of twenty children and six adult staff members who died in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in December 2012. It is one of the deadliest mass shootings in US history. Jennifer tells Emily how the tragedy threatened but then strengthened her faith as she put her energy into founding a sanctuary in her animal-mad daughters' name.And as the Church of England prepares to publish a much anticipated action plan to tackle racism this week we'll discuss what needs to be done now. It is not simply a matter of atoning for the past or removing old statues or symbols - this week too the BBC's Clive Myrie investigates contemporary allegations of discrimination in the Church for Panorama. The Archbishop of Canterbury has already backed plans for more black clergy and said the Church should rethink its depiction of Jesus as white. Will this be enough?Picture credit: MTO Shahmaghsoudi - School of Islamic Sufism

Following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh, William Crawley looks back on his life and reflects on his faith with Bishop Graham James, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, historian Coryne Hall and the writer Martin Palmer.Also in the programme, as violence returns to the streets of Northern Ireland, how significant is this moment and do religious leaders have any influence on events? With the Catholic Bishop Noel Treanor, and the Presbyterian Moderator, Dr David Bruce.And the musicologist Michael Spitzer, author of the new book 'The Musical Human: A History of Life on Earth', explores how music was fundamental to our evolution and its relationship to religious and spiritual beliefs across the world and across time.Producers: Dan Tierney and Rosie Dawson.