Last rites as an 'emergency service', Lebanon crisis, 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot'

The Catholic Bishop of Shrewsbury has called for greater recognition of the last rites as an “emergency service”, following concerns that a priest was unable to reach Sir David Amess, a Catholic, at the scene where he was attacked. Meanwhile in Parliament this week, there was talk of this being reflected in a so-called "Amess amendment" to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. Ed Stourton explores the implications.

Sectarian violence on the streets of Beirut last week was the deadliest there for more than a decade. Residents are already living through Lebanon’s worst economic crisis for more than three decades and rebuilding their city after last year's port blast. We examine the religious roots of the crisis.

Dune, the latest sci-fi blockbuster, is an adaptation of a 1965 novel by Frank Herbert, in which religion, Islam in particular, looms large. We look at how the film deals with the Islamic themes. (Credit: Warner Bros. UK & Ireland; directed by Denis Villeneuve)

As part of Black History Month, we reflect on the origins and controversy of the song, 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot', with a descendent of the enslaved people who are credited with writing it.

Producers: Dan Tierney Louise Clarke-Rowbotham

Editor: Helen Grady

Picture: Fisk Jubilee Singers Credit: Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis