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A look at the ethical and religious issues of the week

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Sunday: Hajj Pilgrimage Bookings Chaos, Racial Justice in the Church of England, Wedding Fees

03/07/2022

Hajj Pilgrimage Bookings Chaos, Racial Justice in the Church of England, Wedding Fees

BBC Radio 4 - Sunday, Hajj Pilgrimage Bookings Chaos, Racial Justice in the Church of England, Wedding Fees

A look at the ethical and religious issues of the week with Edward Stourton.

The Archbishops' Commission on Racial Justice in the Church of England, chaos for Hajj pilgrims, and a new translation of Rumi.

'Racism is a gaping wound in the body of Christ' - so said the former Labour cabinet minister Paul Boateng. He is chairing the Archbishops' Commission for Racial Justice, and this week he produced the first of several papers on what needs to be done to heal that wound. We hear from him and the Reverend Arun Arora about how the work is going.

Next week sees the start of the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief in London. 600 delegates from 60 countries will take part. The Tory MP Fiona Bruce will be in the chair - she's the Prime Minister's special envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief. It's the fourth such conference and we ask her what's been achieved so far.

The Church of England diocese of Blackburn wants parishes to drop wedding fees because they are 'economically unjust'. It's passed its own motion on the matter and will be proposing the plan when the General Synod gathers next weekend. The fee for a C of E wedding is usually between 512 and 560 pounds. We hear what that's meant to some parishioners and why the diocese is taking the action.

And Hajj begins next week, but this year's pilgrimage has been marked by widespread complaints about a new booking system for traveling to Mecca. The Saudi authorities have launched their own booking portal this year. But the Labour MP Yasmin Qureshi, who chairs the all-party parliamentary group on Hajj and Umrah, tells us that for many would-be pilgrims it has proved chaotic. 

Presented By Edward Stourton.
Produced by Julia Paul and Rebecca Maxted.

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