The Religion and Ethics Report - Separate stories podcast

Long before Donald Trump up-ended traditional conservatism in the US, another charismatic figure was re-shaping the Republican Party.
Writer William F. Buckley was the first editor of National Review, perhaps the most influential political magazine of the 20th century. Ronald Reagan was a particular enthusiast for its ideas.
But there was another force in Buckley’s life, and it often conflicted with his politics – the Catholic Church.
GUEST:
Sam Tanenhaus is the author of the acclaimed new biography, Buckley: The Life and Revolution that Changed America.
This program first went to air in September 2025 and was made on the lands of the Gadigal People

Wokeness. It’s a word that’s gone from badge of pride to insult. 
It’s an idea with religious roots, even though most of its champions would disdain any religious belief. 
Those who’ve embraced wokeness say they’re promoting social justice. 
But to author Musa al-Gharbi, it’s social justice for those wanting to feel progressive while clinging to the status of the upper middle class. 
His book is We Have Never Been Woke: the cultural contradictions of a new elite.
GUEST:
Dr Musa al-Garbi is a sociologist in the School of Communication and Journalism at Stony Brook University
This program was first broadcast in March 2025 and was made on the lands of the Gadigal People.

Under President Erdogan, Turkiye has asserted itself as a regional leader.
The country recently hosted meetings with Arab states to try to solve the Palestine-Israel conflict. 
But in July this year, mass demonstrations roiled Istanbul.
The Enduring Hold of Islam in Turkey explains the rise and seemingly untouchable dominance of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
GUEST:
David Tonge is a journalist and scholar who’s lived half his life in Türkiye. 
This program was first broadcast in March 2025 and made on the lands of the Gadigal People

Monday, April 21, 2025 -- news sites globally announce the death of Pope Francis at 88. 
Even though his health has been fragile for months, the news still stuns the world.
The news breaks just hours after Francis has given his Easter Sunday blessing and is to become the biggest religious story of 2025.
And the funeral becomes a major geo-political event.
Soon, inside the Vatican, the politicking for a new Pope begins in earnest...
GUESTS:
Colm Flynn from the Catholic broadcaster EWTN 
Claire Giangrave from the Religion News Service 
Clare Johnson from the Australian Catholic University 
Noel Debien ABC’s senior religion specialist 
Papal historian Miles Pattenden of Oxford University 
Sandie Cornish of the Australian Catholic University
This program was made on the lands of the Gadigal People

If the first hundred days of a papacy can shake up the Catholic church, how much drama occurs over 80 years? 
For journalist Philip Shenon, there has been a constant tension – how much should the church judge the modern world and how much mercy should it extend? 
Philip’s the author of a sweeping new history of the church since World War II. 
It’s called Jesus Wept – Seven Popes and the Battle for The Soul of the Catholic Church. It chronicles the triumphs, controversies, and politics of the popes before Leo. 
GUEST
Philip Shenon, author and journalist
This program was first broadcast in August and was made on the lands of the Gadigal People.