Holy Smoke

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The most important and controversial topics in world religion, thoroughly dissected by a range of high profile guests. Presented by Damian Thompson.

Holy Smoke

The Spectator

Religion

183 episodes

What can we expect from the papal conclave?

Pope Francis dies – what will his legacy be?

Easter special: in praise of faithful dissent, a conversation with Nigel Biggar and Mary Wakefield

Was Simeon of Jerusalem the first Christian in recorded history?

The tin ear of Justin Welby

A sick Pope and a paralysed Vatican: who is actually running the Catholic Church?

Christianity, culture wars and J.D. Vance: a conversation with James Orr

Conclave – what really happens when a pope dies?

Holy War and Antichrist: The rise of extremist rhetoric inside the Russian Orthodox Church

Why militant atheists don’t understand religion: a conversation with Alister McGrath

Are Syrian Christians who speak the language of Jesus about to disappear after 2,000 years?

Could Trump 2.0. herald a new era of religious liberty in America?

Did Muslim leaders help conceal the grooming gangs scandal? A fierce exchange of views

How abuse scandals shattered the Church of England but were hidden by the Vatican

Why was C.S. Lewis such a killjoy at Christmas? A discussion with Alister McGrath

Is the end of Christendom nigh? with A.N. Wilson

Defender of the Faith: how have the King’s religious beliefs changed?

Should assisted dying be legalised?

Welby resigns: crisis at the Church of England

Did Christianity create secular humanism?

Sale of the century: why is the Kirk selling off hundreds of churches so cheaply?

The Pope announces 21 new cardinals. Is he trying to pack the conclave?

Could religious voters in the swing states decide the US election?

How pistols in St Paul’s Cathedral shaped the science of sound

Losing faith: will Labour’s VAT policy hit religious schools hardest?

From the archives: An atheist goes on a Christian pilgrimage. Why?

A Habsburg Archduke explains how not to be nasty on Twitter

Walsingham and the musical grief of the Reformation

Calm fire: the consolation of listening to Bruckner

The problem with cringe-making funerals

How the Church of England patronises African Christians

How much did Pope Francis know about Fr Marko Rupnik?

How liberal bishops are squeezing the life out of the Church of England

Does Trump have evangelical Christians to thank for his second coming?

Gay blessings and theological porn: why leading cardinals are distancing themselves from Pope Francis

Raymond Arroyo on the joys of a Sinatra-style Christmas

The strange appeal of Integralism

How light filled the first Roman Churches: a conversation with Dr Elizabeth Lev

The Pope, gay blessings and the Rupnik scandal

Genghis Khan and the Pope's summer of madness

The future of churchgoing in the West: why Protestants should worry and Catholics should panic

Is 2023 Pope Francis's 'Year Zero'?

Escaping the atheist hell of North Korea

Inside the world's most vicious liturgy wars

Succession: five nightmares for the next pope

The Vatican and the Mafia – why Italy can't seem to shake off organised crime

How Protestant is the Coronation?

Why didn't Beethoven go to Mass?

The battle over female Catholic priests has just begun

Is Abu Dhabi's multi-faith 'Abrahamic Family House' a beacon of hope or a creepy PR exercise?

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