91Èȱ¬ Religion & Ethics marks Holy Week and Easter Week with television and radio programmes including traditional Easter worship; an exploration of the image of the cross and insights into how faith in God helps Christians to deal with difficult times.
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Palm Sunday
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The seven last words of Jesus from the cross have been the inspiration for a number of composers.
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In Seven Last Words (Radio 4, 1.30pm) Denis McCaldin, Emeritus Professor of Music at Lancaster University, traces their use in both Catholic and Protestant devotion.
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He is joined by the Scottish composer James MacMillan to discuss the difference between music for performance and music meant to aid contemplation.
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In the last in this year's series of Lent Talks, (Radio 4, 5.40pm) Patrick Malahide reads Expectations, written by the Chaplain to the Richmond Theatre, Ruth Scott.
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It focuses on a Belfast man who reflects on his anger and regret when his aspirations for political change are disappointed.
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Monday 21 to Friday 25 March
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Joan Bakewell begins a new series of Belief (Radio 3, 7.00pm) in which she talks to well known personalities about what shapes their beliefs.
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Contributions come from Rastafarian poet Benjamin Zephaniah; philosopher Professor Antony Flew who, after a career as a renowned atheist, accepted in his eighties the idea of some sort of creator God; Haleh Afshar, Professor of Politics at York University, who left her native Iran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution; Nobel Prize winning chemist Sir Harry Kroto; and 2005 Whitbread Poet of the Year, Michael Symmons Roberts.
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Monday 21 to Thursday 24 March
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Each day during Holy Week, the Daily Service (Radio 4 LW, 9.45am) examines a different aspect of Christians' response to the pain and suffering of Christ.
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Some of the most poignant verses in the Bible are accounts of people crying.
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Holy Tears (Monday-Thursday, Radio 4, 3.45pm) takes four instances and explores the emotions behind these tears: David's tears of grief for the death of his son Absalom, the tears of the 'sinful woman' in Luke's Gospel, the shortest verse in the Bible which says simply "Jesus wept" (John 3:35), and Peter's tears of guilt after his betrayal of Jesus.
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Wednesday 23 March
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Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People? (91Èȱ¬ ONE, 11.20pm) explores this age-old question through the stories of three people whose faith is tested as they try to come to terms with painful life experiences.
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This documentary tells their stories and discovers how they've managed to keep their faith against the odds.
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As part of Radio 3's Easter at King's Festival, Choral Evensong (4.00pm) comes live from the Chapel of King's College, Cambridge.
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Good Friday
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This year's Good Friday Meditation is Nailing the Cross (91Èȱ¬ ONE, 10.00am) in which writer Rhidian Brook reflects on the true significance of the cross in a world where it has become an overused fashion accessory devoid of spiritual meaning.
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Rhidian talks to theologian Martin Palmer and the Bishop of Durham, Rt Rev Dr Tom Wright, about the enduring influence of this powerful image.
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Rev Roger Royle introduces At the Foot of the Cross (Radio 2, 9.30pm), a meditation for Good Friday from the chapel of Trinity College, Cambridge.
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The Chapel Choir and the Trinity Singers are joined by friends and family for some of the classic choral works for Good Friday.
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Hymns, poetry and readings reflect on the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and include selections from Bach's St Matthew Passion, Allegri's Miserere and the spiritual Steal Away.
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Thought for the Day (Radio 4, 7.45am) is presented by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Dr Rowan Williams, and reflects on the Good Friday message for Christians in the contemporary world.
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Oliver McTernan presents Good Friday's Act of Worship (Radio 4 LW, 9.45am).
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The Wickedest Man? (Radio 4, 11.00am) explores how the image of Judas has been exploited through the ages.
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Presenter Janet Robson meets art historians in Britain, Germany and Italy to see how Judas has been portrayed in paintings, manuscript illuminations and sculpture.
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She discovers that most images show him as avaricious, evil and heading for Hell and damnation, but a more revisionist, kinder view sees him as the vehicle of God's will - without Judas there could have been no betrayal, no Crucifixion and therefore no Resurrection.
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In A Life Laid Down (Radio 4, 3.00pm) Julian Filochowski, former Director of CAFOD, travels to El Salvador to assess the legacy of Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, 25 years after his brutal assassination.
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An icon of hope and strength for the poor of his country due to his courageous stand for justice, Romero became a martyr for people struggling to overcome poverty and oppression throughout the world.
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Before Their Time (Radio 4, 3.30pm) explores the stories of three people who experienced the unexpected loss of a loved one.
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It looks at how that loss changed their lives in unusual ways, leading them to look towards the future with a different kind of optimism.
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Easter Sunday
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91Èȱ¬ ONE celebrates Easter Sunday with Risen Today! (10.00am). The service comes live from St Peter's Parish Church in the heart of Leeds.
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This is followed by Pope John Paul II's traditional Easter message and blessing Urbi et Orbi 'to the city and to the world' (11.00am).
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In the evening, Pam Rhodes visits St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Suffolk for Songs of Praise (91Èȱ¬ ONE, time to be confirmed).
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Easter celebrations on Radio 4 begin with Easter Sunrise (Radio 4, 6.35am) from Wells Cathedral in Somerset, joining the congregation as it moves from the graveyard into the cathedral to hear the Easter message of the triumph of life over death and hope for the world.
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On Radio 2's Good Morning Sunday (7.00am), Don Maclean talks to Rev Roger Quick about the enduring message of the Gospels and an a cappella group Wenchall perform traditional English Easter songs.
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As part of the Easter at King's Festival, Festal Evensong (Radio 3, 4.00pm) comes live from King's College, Cambridge.
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It features the first ever performance of a Magnificat and Nunc Dimmittis which have been specially composed for the occasion by James Whitbourn.
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Sunday Worship (Radio 4, 9.10am) is at Wells Cathedral to celebrate the Easter Eucharist with music by the Cathedral Choir, including a performance of Mozart's sublime Coronation Mass.
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The sermon is preached by the Bishop of Bath and Wells, Rt Rev Peter Price.
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