The Religion and Ethics Report - Separate stories podcast

“The scale and suddenness of this flood have left many families facing immense uncertainty and hardship.” says Roslyn Gabriel, World Vision’s National Director in Nepal. The death toll from the floods that have swept the border region between Nepal and Chinese-controlled Tibet continues to rise, along with the intense rescue effort. But Nepal must also rebuild the villages in the path of the flood or rehouse people who’ve moved to the capital, Kathmandu. Hundreds of children have also reportedly been made orphans. PLUS Almost every UN member country has signed covenants to guarantee human rights. But what happens when there’s a clash of rights, such as personal identity versus religious liberty? Some battles end in the courts but official human rights agencies are trying to balance these claims. The Templeton Foundation is funding a $1.2 million global study of the issue. AND It’s five years since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, erasing, almost overnight, the human rights gained in the previous 20 years. A western occupation had its problems – a Brown University study found it cost allied powers around $2 trillion – but for two decades it empowered many women and girls to live as full citizens. Now they face what Afghanistan’s former human rights chief is calling a “femicide”. GUESTS: Roslyn Gabriel is the National director of World Vision Nepal Nicholas Aroney is Professor of Constitutional Law at The University of Queensland Shaharzad Akbar is a human rights activist from Afghanistan, currently in exile and a Visiting Scholar at Wolfson College, Oxford Australians can support World Vision’s Nepal emergency appeal at the World Vision Australia website: Nepal emergency flood appeal | World Vision Australia Also the ABC is supporting the Emergency Action Alliance member charities and their local partners. Your donation will help provide food, water, financial support, emergency shelter and aid to those in need. Go to ABC.net.au/gives to find out more and donate. Nepal-Tibet Floods - ABC Gives

“The scale and suddenness of this flood have left many families facing immense uncertainty and hardship.” says Roslyn Gabriel, World Vision’s National Director in Nepal. The death toll from the floods that have swept the border region between Nepal and Chinese-controlled Tibet continues to rise, along with the intense rescue effort. But Nepal must also rebuild the villages in the path of the flood or rehouse people who’ve moved to the capital, Kathmandu. Hundreds of children have also reportedly been made orphans. GUEST: Roslyn Gabriel is the National director of World Vision Nepal based in Katmandu Australians can support World Vision’s Nepal emergency appeal at the World Vision Australia website: Nepal emergency flood appeal | World Vision Australia

It’s five years since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan, erasing, almost overnight, the human rights gained in the previous 20 years. A western occupation had its problems. A Brown University study found it cost allied powers around $2 trillion. But for two decades it empowered many women and girls to live as full citizens. Now they face what Afghanistan’s former human rights chief is calling a “femicide”. GUEST: Shaharzad Akbar is a human rights activist from Afghanistan, currently in exile and a Visiting Scholar at Wolfson College, Oxford

Almost every UN member country has signed covenants to guarantee human rights. But what happens when there’s a clash of rights, such as personal identity versus religious liberty? Some battles end in the courts but official human rights agencies are trying to balance these claims. The Templeton Foundation is funding a $1.2 million global study of the issue. GUEST: Queensland University law professor Nicholas Aroney is project leader.

Have democratic socialists in the US bagged the biggest catch of all in Pope Leo?

Twenty-five years ago – September 11, 2001 – an Islamist terror group emerged from its refuge in Afghanistan to strike down two symbols of America.

They are, right now, the hottest thing in American politics.

The conviction of the Catholic bishop of Broome raises new questions about the ability of the church to investigate itself, especially in cases of abuse. One of the world's leading experts on church law says Australia's bishops should establish an independent tribunal of senior jurists to act swiftly against abusive clergy. Plus, the female exodus from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons). An insider take on what it means for the church. Also, has a generation of men become demoralised — in every sense? GUESTS: Professor Rik Torfs from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, civil and canon lawyer. He's also a former member of the Belgian parliament. Dr Jana Reiss, columnist with the Religion News Service, and a member of the Mormon church. Dr Tanveer Ahmed, psychiatrist and writer. This program is recorded on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, known as the Mormons, is an American original. It's a religion that grew out of the US to become a global church. And for decades, faithful women were its mainstay — well-educated, conservative, committed to family and community. But new research has shocked the overwhelmingly male leadership of the Mormons. More than half of all Gen Z women who grew up in the church have left. What does this mean for the church? GUEST: Dr Jana Reiss, columnist with the Religion News Service, and a member of the Mormon church.

Is there a growing moral crisis among young men? In an essay for the online magazine Quillette, prominent psychiatrist, Tanveer Ahmed, takes a deep dive into statistics about young men who are dropping out of the labour market — and worries about the deeper consequences. Has a generation of men become demoralised — in every sense? GUEST: Dr Tanveer Ahmed, psychiatrist and writer.

The conviction of the Catholic bishop of Broome raises new questions about the ability of the church to investigate itself, especially in cases of abuse. A court found Christopher Saunders guilty of 12 counts of sexually abusing two young men and one count of rape. But it took eight years from when the allegations arose to get a criminal conviction. Now one of the world's leading experts on church law says Australia's bishops should establish an independent tribunal of senior jurists to act swiftly against abusive clergy.

In New South Wales, the Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating claims that the head office of Catholic schools – but not the schools themselves -- employed some staff to work primarily on factional activities for the Liberal Party. There’ve also been allegations that the organisation paid a consultant who then funnelled his money to a faction known as the Reformers. But first, the ABC’s head of religion, Noel Debien, has been watching the proceedings at ICAC and is here with an update. GUESTS: Noel Debien is a religion expert and broadcaster, and heads the Religion and Ethics unit at ABC Radio National Anne Benjamin is a respected educator, who was Director of Schools for the Parramatta diocese.

How have socially conservative Catholics found a home for themselves in the Liberal Party, especially considering its early history as a bastion of Australia’s protestant establishment? It’s due in large part to the end of long romance between the Catholic Church and the Labor Party. GUEST: Dr Jeff Kildea is the author of the new book Iron Law No More: The Rise and Demise of the Catholic-Labor Alliance in Australia .

The ABC’s head of religion, Noel Debien, has been watching the proceedings at ICAC and is here with an update. In New South Wales, the Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating claims that the head office of Catholic schools – but not the schools themselves -- employed some staff to work primarily on factional activities for the Liberal Party. There’ve also been allegations that the organisation paid a consultant who then funnelled his money to a faction known as the Reformers. How have socially conservative Catholics found a home for themselves in the Liberal Party, especially considering its early history as a bastion of Australia’s protestant establishment? It’s due in large part to the end of long romance between the Catholic Church and the Labor Party. GUESTS: Noel Debien is a religion expert and broadcaster, and heads the Religion and Ethics unit at ABC Radio National Dr Jeff Kildea is the author of the new book Iron Law No More: The Rise and Demise of the Catholic-Labor Alliance in Australia . Anne Benjamin is a respected educator, who was Director of Schools for the Parramatta diocese. This program is recorded on the lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation

For six years, a Church of England priest has been trying to uncover the fate of more than 60 Iraqis taken prisoner by Coalition forces during the 2003 Iraq invasion.

For six years, a Church of England priest has been trying to uncover the fate of more than 60 Iraqis taken prisoner by Coalition forces during the 2003 Iraq invasion. What makes this search for the truth so compelling is that before becoming a priest, Nicholas Mercer was a Lieutenant Colonel and one of the most senior lawyers in the British military. As part of his search, he wrote repeatedly to the Inspector General of the Australian Defence Forced because Australian troops were involved in detaining the Iraqis. Nicholas Mercer has finally received a response from the Inspector-General. The following statement can be attributed to a spokesperson for the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force: The Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force’s role includes the examination of matters affecting military justice in the ADF. The IGADF inquiry into Dr Mercer’s concerns did not find any evidence that substantiates wrongdoing on the part of the ADF. GUEST: A former British Army Lieutenant-Colonel, the Rev Nicholas Mercer has been campaigning for the truth about war crimes in Iraq - he is also an Anglican priest

One of the most controversial questions in next week’s census is about religious affinity. Over the past two decades, increasing numbers of Australians say they have no religion. In 2021, it reached 39 per cent. But does the way the census poses the question accurately reflect religious identity? GUEST: Dr Dorian von Freyhold from the analytics firm Compass Polling ran an experiment involving 5,000 people.

"Women religious" have led major education, health and charitable institutions. But they’ve also been victims of their own church.

Young voters have a voice in India right now. India’s Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently visited Melbourne to receive a rock star welcome at a mass rally at docklands stadium. But not all Australian Hindus are fans - some see him as a divisive figure with potential impact on social harmony. What do they make of the current pulses of anti-immigration rhetoric emerging from figures like Hanson and her party? Meanwhile in India, the Cockroach Janta party or CJP might have started out as an online joke, bit its grown into a mass protests movement, driven by the discontent of millions of younger voters. What of it's future? With an October 27 poll looming for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — security officials warn the Occupied West Bank is a tinderbox, with Palestinian Christian communities among those under sustained attack from armed settlers. We speak with a Christian Palestinian from Bethlehem with family in Gaza. GUESTS: ABC journalist and former ABC South Asia correspondent Meghna Bali - Her new ABC Compass documentary is here . Professor Assa Doron, from the Australian National University’s College of Asia and the Pacific. Dr Yousef Al-Khoury is the Academic Dean of Bethlehem Bible College in the West Bank. He’s currently on a speaking tour Bearing Witness in Australia organised by the group Palestinian Christians in Australia .

India’s Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently visited Melbourne to receive a rock star welcome at a mass rally at docklands stadium. But not all Australian Hindus are fans - some see him as a divisive figure with potential impact on social harmony. What do they make of the current pulses of anti-immigration rhetoric emerging from figures like Hanson and her party? GUEST: ABC journalist and former ABC South Asia correspondent Meghna Bali - Her new ABC Compass documentary is here .