The weekend saw a ceremony of reconciliation between the Aboriginal people of South Brisbane and the Catholic church of St Mary’s.

President Jose Ramos-Horta has forgiven his attackers. The Amish forgave their chidren's killer in 2006. In 2005 Van Nguyen sought forgiveness. What is forgiveness? Why does it make the news? How might it help us think through arguments about the death penalty?

French thinker Simone Weil wrote that one of the most fundamental human needs was 'the need for roots'and that "uprootedness' was 'by far the most dangerous malady to which societies are exposed." Philosopher Jonathan Glover applies Simone Weil's understanding of 'uprootedness' to the circumstances of Palestinians and Israelis, and discerns a way forward in this most intractable of conflicts.
Producer: Margaret Coffey

On the last edition of The Year of Festivals, the Tongan community of Western Sydney shares the challenges and joys of being Tongan in Australia, especially at Christmas; and Donna Jacobs Sife reveals how Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, commemorates a miracle in the Temple of Jerusalem and signifies the key values of freedom of identity and religion.

Featured on The Spirit of Things on June 1st and 3rd, the Bahai Gardens in Haifa, Israel has just been named a World Heritage Site by by UNESCO.
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Compass goes green, exploring faith and the environment.
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