Holy Smoke

Israel has voted in its first general election since the 7th of October attacks, and the result is deadlock. Netanyahu’s bloc took 53 seats, the opposition 48 and the Arab parties a record 19. Shas, the Sephardi ultra-Orthodox party, fell from 11 seats to six, its worst result since 1992, after insisting that haredi men should stay exempt from military service.

Damian Thompson is joined by Anshel Pfeffer, Israel correspondent for The Economist and biographer of Benjamin Netanyahu, to ask how much religion is shaping the country’s future. They discuss the ‘status quo’ deal David Ben-Gurion struck with the rabbis before the state was founded, why Israel still has no civil marriage, the three main branches of ultra-Orthodoxy, and a birth rate that has taken the haredim from 2-3% of the population to 13-14%. Could they be half of Israel within a generation or two? And with the parties promising not to sit with Netanyahu, the Arab parties or the haredim, which of those promises will be broken first?

Produced by Patrick Gibbons and Henry Lloyd
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Manuela Lowenthal Ferreira joins Damian Thompson from Brazil to report on the growing role of evangelical Christians in the presidential election. The second round this Sunday sees left-wing President Lula –serving his third term nonconsecutively – pitted against right-wing challenger Flavio Bolsonaro – son of the previous president. Around 50 million Brazilians identify as evangelical so, considering that is almost 30 percent of the population, do they hold the deciding influence?

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
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Pope Leo XIV is recovering in hospital after undergoing surgery for lung cancer, with doctors removing the lower lobe of his right lung. The Vatican says his recovery is progressing normally, but questions remain over how his illness could affect a pontificate that is still in its early stages.

What does the Pope’s diagnosis mean for the Catholic Church? The Pillar’s Ed Condon joins Damian Thompson to consider how illness could reshape Leo’s papacy and whether his health could speed up the process of senior appointments – and ultimately revive the debate over papal succession.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
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Franz Liszt is remembered as one of the great showmen of the 19th century: a dazzling virtuoso, breaker of pianos and notorious womaniser who inspired a frenzy among his admirers. But a profound Catholic faith ran through his life, which found an increasingly powerful expression in his music. For this Holy Smoke episode, Damian Thompson is joined by the award-winning British pianist Charles Owen, whose new album De Profundis explores the sacred music of both Liszt and César Franck. Owen explains how Liszt translated the stories of saints, scripture and even birdsong into what he argues is some of the most extraordinary music ever written for the piano.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
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Pakistani Christians could face renewed persecution following the Archbishop of Canterbury’s decision to withdraw an honour to a leading Muslim cleric, Monsignor Michael Nazir-Ali warns today in this episode of Holy Smoke.

The former Bishop of Rochester speaks to Damian Thompson following the news that Lambeth Palace has had to withdraw an award to Hafiz Ashrafi after previous comments by the Imam came to light. Following the ‘Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation' award being presented, it came to light that Ashrafi had praised Osama bin Laden in 2007, saying he would give the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks the title Saifullah – or 'Sword of God’ – for ’serving Muslims by waging jihad against infidels’.

The question remains ‘why there was not due diligence’ Msgr Nazir-Ali tells Damian, saying Pakistani Christian leaders fear a backlash. The ‘reactionary action on the part of extremists’ should have been thought about before making the announcement, Nazir-Ali said, as he criticised Lambeth Palace. Msgr Nazir-Ali, now a priest of the Catholic Ordinariate and who was born in Pakistan, is a world renowned authority on Islam's relations with Christianity. He talks to Damian about the debacle over the award, and warns against the increasing secularisation and desecration of British churches.

Produced by Patrick Gibbons.
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