The Religion and Ethics Report

For almost 50 years, Republicans have relied on evangelical Christians, and more recently, conservative Catholics, to mobilise at elections. Democrats have courted more secular voters. But in next week’s mid-term elections, seven protestant clergy are running for congress as Democrats. In the heartland state of Kansas, a Methodist mega-church minister, Adam Hamilton, could make history. GUEST: Sophie Hills is national political correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor.

Early Israel election results show it's unlikely a Benjamin Netanyahu led government will return to power. But nothing is cast in stone. Over the next days and weeks there will be much wrangling behind the scenes to cobble together a new government, possibly led by Gadi Eiesnkot. And could "soft Islamists" and Arab parties have a say in a new Knesset? GUEST: Dr Ran Porat is a researcher and lecturer at the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilization, teaching Modern Middle East and Israel studies at Monash University

Early Israel election results show it's unlikely a Benjamin Netanyahu led government will return to power. But nothing is cast in stone. Over the next days and weeks there will be much wrangling behind the scenes to cobble together a new government, possibly led by opposition bloc leader Gadi Eisenkot. The greatest change in the new Knesset will be the increased representation of Palestinian parties, which are projected to win 17 to 18 seats, up from 10. Could these "soft Islamists" and Arab parties finally have a say? For almost 50 years, Republicans have relied on evangelical Christians and, more recently, conservative Catholics, to mobilise at elections. Democrats have courted more secular voters. But in next week’s mid-term elections seven protestant clergy are running for congress as Democrats. In the heartland state of Kansas, a Methodist mega-church minister, Adam Hamilton, could make history. Voters in the Canadian province of Alberta rejected a plan to secede. But it hasn’t ended tension with the US. Donald Trump wants Canada to become the 51st state. A new think tank aims to promote global reconciliation, inspired by a familiar figure. GUESTS: Dr Ran Porat is a researcher and lecturer at the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilization, teaching Modern Middle East and Israel studies at Monash University Sophie Hills is national political correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor. Professor Peter Meehan heads the new Pope Francis Institute at the University of Waterloo in Ontario.

Voters in the Canadian province of Alberta rejected a plan to secede. But it hasn’t ended tension with the US. Donald Trump wants Canada to become the 51st state. A new think tank aims to promote global reconciliation, inspired by a familiar figure. Pope Francis. GUEST: Professor Peter Meehan heads the new Pope Francis Institute at the University of Waterloo in Ontario.

Israeli settlers have again besieged the Palestinian town of Taybeh. It’s the last remaining Christian village on the West Bank. But this time the far-right Jewish youths also attacked a visiting Catholic Archbishop from France and European diplomats. Their violence has even triggered condemnation from a prominent Orthodox rabbi. And It seems like every Israel election since the early 1990s, and the start of the stalled Oslo peace accords, has been historic or pivotal. But next week’s poll really does feel like a crucial choice for the country. Benjamin Netanyahu has committed his hard-right government to the expansion of Israeli territory and no statehood, ever, for Palestinians. Will Israelis endorse his vision? Plus Despite the tragedy of the Gaza war, civil society groups are making small but critical steps towards reconciliation. Project Rozana is a global charity, started in Australia, that brings Jews, Israelis, and Palestinians together to deliver health care in Palestine. It’s about to open a rehabilitation hospital in Hebron, backed by the Australian government. Guests: Father Bashar Fawadleh is the Catholic parish priest of Taybeh. Dr Dahlia Scheindlin is a public opinion analyst and senior columnist with Ha’aretz . Panos Massouris is the chief executive of Project Rozana , a global charity This program was made on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation

It seems like every Israel election since the early 1990s, and the start of the stalled Oslo peace accords, has been historic or pivotal. But next week’s poll really does feel like a crucial choice for the country. Benjamin Netanyahu has committed his hard-right government to the expansion of Israeli territory and no statehood, ever, for Palestinians. Will Israelis endorse his vision? GUEST: Dr Dahlia Scheindlin is a public opinion analyst and senior columnist with Ha’aretz .

Despite the tragedy of the Gaza war, civil society groups are making small but critical steps towards reconciliation.

Israeli settlers have again besieged the Palestinian town of Taybeh. It’s the last remaining Christian village on the West Bank. But this time the far-right Jewish youths also attacked a visiting Catholic Archbishop from France and European diplomats who were watching the olive harvest. GUEST: Father Bashar Fawadleh is the Catholic parish priest of Taybeh.

Those with fond memories of our grandmothers will often say she “was a saint”. For Martha Hennessy, that will literally be the case. Her grandmother, the American Catholic writer and social justice activist Dorothy Day is on track to canonization. Dorothy Day died in 1980, almost 50 years after she co-founded the Catholic Worker newspaper, but Pope Benedict, Pope Francis and now Pope Leo have invoked her life and work. Martha Hennessy is currently touring Australia. GUEST: Martha Hennessy is an American Catholic peace activist and member of the Catholic Worker Movement

Pope Leo has had surgery to remove part of his lung, with doctors confirming they found a small cancer. Leo has become the world’s most prominent advocate for the poor and the migrant, and opponent of the wars started by Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Ukraine and Iran. The prognosis for his recovery is good but any absence from the world stage alarms millions of people hoping for a long papacy. Until recently, Kim Daniels served on the Vatican Dicastery for Communication. Kim is in Australia to speak at the Diocese of Parramatta, the Bishop Vincent Presents series GUEST: Kim Daniels heads the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University in Washington DC.

Pope Leo has had surgery to remove part of his lung, with doctors confirming they found a small cancer. Leo has become the world’s most prominent advocate for the poor and the migrant, and opponent of the wars started by Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Ukraine and Iran. The prognosis for his recovery is good but any absence from the world stage alarms millions of people hoping for a long papacy. Until recently, Kim Daniels served on the Vatican Dicastery for Communication. She’s in Australia to speak at the Diocese of Parramatta, the Bishop Vincent Presents series. Those with fond memories of our grandmothers will often say she “was a saint”. For Martha Hennessy, that will literally be the case. Her grandmother, the American Catholic writer and social justice activist Dorothy Day is on track to canonization. Dorothy Day died in 1980, almost 50 years after she co-founded the Catholic Worker newspaper, but Pope Benedict, Pope Francis and now Pope Leo have invoked her life and work. Martha Hennessy is currently touring Australia. GUESTS: Kim Daniels heads the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University in Washington DC. Martha Hennessy is an American Catholic peace activist and member of the Catholic Worker Movement This program was made on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation

In the three years since the gruesome Hamas attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people, and included the documented use of sexual violence, Israel has responded with its own fierce bombardment of the Gaza strip. An estimated 70,000 people have died, mostly from Israeli air attacks. From the October 7 massacre, flowed twin tragedies: a humanitarian crisis in Gaza and a global explosion of antisemitism, most obviously the 2025 Hannukah massacre at Bondi Beach. GUEST: David Myers is a distinguished professor of Jewish History at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a lifelong activist for Israeli-Palestinian peace and human rights

They pose behind luxuriant, often ludicrous moustaches, smoke pipes and affect an air of genteel intellectuals. But these so-called "theo-bros", as in theological, have very radical agenda to change America that hearkens back to the country’s worst times. Bob Smietana has been tracking this online group as it preaches a version of Christianity to lost young men. GUEST: Bob Smietana is a senior writer based in Chicago for the Religion News Service.

In the three years since the gruesome Hamas attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people, and included the documented use of sexual violence, Israel has responded with its own fierce bombardment of the Gaza strip. An estimated 70,000 people have died, mostly from Israeli air attacks. From the October 7 massacre, flowed twin tragedies: a humanitarian crisis in Gaza and a global explosion of antisemitism, most obviously the 2025 Hannukah massacre at Bondi Beach. They pose behind luxuriant, often ludicrous moustaches, smoke pipes and affect an air of genteel intellectuals. But these so-called "theo bros", as in theological, have very radical agenda to change America that hearkens back to the country’s worst times. Bob Smietana has been tracking this online group as it preaches a version of Christianity to lost young men. GUESTS: David Myers is a distinguished professor of Jewish History at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a lifelong activist for Israeli-Palestinian peace and human rights Bob Smietana is a senior writer based in Chicago for the Religion News Service.

The plan was that, at 8am on Sunday, 35 men dressed in orange sashes and black bowler hats would march up a street in Portadown, in Northern Ireland. By 8.30, it was supposed to be over. Now, the planned march, which never took place, has become a stand-off that threatens to bring down Norther Ireland’s provincial government. The controversy has also reopened a tension between the town’s Catholic nationalists and Protestant loyalists that’s been contained for almost three decades. AND France is a country that, since the early 20th century, has built its politics and civil life around a strict practice of secularism. The law even bans the wearing of crosses and other religious symbols in some public institutions. So how much of a shock has it been to see Pope Leo draw massive crowds during his brief visit to France? An estimated 800,000 people turned out to see him in Paris. And does it suggest a religious revival in a country where only about 5% of people attend church each week? GUESTS: Professor Dominic Bryan is a specialist in politics and religion at Queens University in Belfast. Professor Charles Mercier specialises in public religion at the School of Advanced Studies in Paris. This program was recorded and produced on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation

France is a country that, since the early 20th century, has built its politics and civil life around a strict practice of secularism. The law even bans the wearing of crosses and other religious symbols in some public institutions. So how much of a shock has it been to see Pope Leo draw massive crowds during his brief visit to France? An estimated 800,000 people turned out to see him in Paris. And does it suggest a religious revival in a country where only about 5% of people attend church each week? GUEST: Professor CHARLES MERCIER specialises in public religion at the School of Advanced Studies in Paris.

The plan was that, at 8am on Sunday, 35 men dressed in orange sashes and black bowler hats would march up a street in Portadown, in Northern Ireland. By 8.30, it was supposed to be over. Now, the planned march, which never took place, has become a stand-off that threatens to bring down Norther Ireland’s provincial government. The controversy has also reopened a tension between the town’s Catholic nationalists and Protestant loyalists that’s been contained for almost three decades. GUEST: Professor Dominic Bryan is a specialist in politics and religion at Queens University in Belfast.

As ethno-nationalists continue their march across much of Europe, what has become of the once predominant political movement in Europe — Christian Democracy? While it might share a religious origin, it is worlds away from today's abrasive Christian nationalism. Christian Democracy was the driving force behind the rebuilding of Europe in the wake of World War II; bolstering welfare states and helping to create the communal organisation that would become the European Union. But today, the influence and appeal of Christian Democracy has significantly diminished. Does it have a future in an increasingly volatile political climate? Guest: Jan-Werner Muller, Professor of Politics, Princeton University. Author of the new book, Street, Palace, Square: The Architecture of Democratic Spaces and a recent essay for Foreign Policy magazine. This program was made on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora nation

As ethno-nationalists continue their march across much of Europe, what has become of the once predominant political movement in Europe — Christian Democracy? From its origins in Catholic teaching, with a focus on social welfare, the political ideology swept across Europe in the aftermath of World War II. It symbolised political stability, social support and the promise of a brighter, united future. But in the era of identity politics, does Christian Democracy have a future? PLUS Clive Hamilton, retiring Professor of Public Ethics, Charles Sturt University and founder of the Australia Institute, on the end of his controversial career in public life. GUESTS: Jan-Werner Muller, Professor of Politics, Princeton University. Author of the new book, Street, Palace, Square: The Architecture of Democratic Spaces and a recent essay for Foreign Policy magazine. Clive Hamilton, retiring Professor of Public Ethics, Charles Sturt University and founder of the Australia Institute. This program was recorded on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation

In the early 1990s, a young economist and philosopher anticipated the end of Labor's era in government and asked what came next for Australian politics. Clive Hamilton then set up the Australia Institute. It became the country's premier centre-left think tank. He later became Professor of Public Ethics at Charles Sturt University. Despite being a man of the left, Clive began to despair about the state of progressive politics, especially the movements around gender and sexual identity. Clive's retiring from academic life but his voice remains as prophetic as ever in the battle of ideas. Guest:Clive Hamilton, retiring Professor of Public Ethics, Charles Sturt University and founder of the Australia Institute. This program was made on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora nation