Church lessons from Covid, modernising Homer’s Odyssey, and remembering Bryan Gallagher.

The Covid 19 pandemic disrupted every aspect of life: education, health, work… and religion. New research collates the experience of faith communities and how they engaged with the state. Have churches learned the lessons from the pandemic? Professor Gladys Ganiel coauthored the reports, and is joined in the studio by Rev John Alderdice (part of the Methodist Church’s response group), Dr Naomi Green (the assistant general secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain), and Father Tim Bartlett(who represented northern Bishops on the faith forum).

Christopher Nolan’s epic film based on Homer’s epic Odyssey poem is enjoying box office success. The Guardian’s Charlotte Higgins tells why she fell in love with the poem as a teenager and considers how far modern moral sensibilities should influence the adaption of classics.

And Sunday Sequence remembers Bryan Gallagher, whose distinctive voice and gifted storytelling delighted radio audiences. Father Brian D’Arcy reflects on the death of his friend and we listen back to Audrey’s conversation with Bryan back in 2020 when he reflected on his life and what he might change if he had the chance to do it again.