The Religion and Ethics Report - Separate stories podcast

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

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.

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.

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