Priests, monks, nuns

Descriptions of the roles and job titles in the various Christian Churches.

Photo shows The Reverend Andrew Martlew, a military 'padre', in his field chapel. Andrew talks about life as an army chaplain below.

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Army chaplains

Army chaplains are noncombatants who accompany troops and minister to their religious needs. The British army today has more chaplains on active service than at any time since World War II.

Cardinals

A cardinal is a member of the 'Sacred College', the group of priests chosen by the Pope to run the Roman Catholic Church.

Christian Brothers

The Congregation was formed in 1802 when Edmund Ignatius Rice, a wealthy Waterford businessman, devoted his life to educating the children of the poor.

Life at The Convent

Sister Clare Agnes of the Poor Clares at Arundel describes the routine of the convent and why she chose this way of life.

Future of the Catholic priesthood

In this audio feature, Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, Timothy Radcliffe, Myra Poole and other members of the Catholic Church ask whether the Roman Catholic priest is an endangered species.

Jesuits (from BBC Radio 4)

Jesuits are a Catholic religious order, founded in the 16th century, who became known as "the school masters of Europe".

The Missionaries

The missionary legacy was born of men and women driven by faith, power, or fame, divides between cultural enrichment and colonial exploitation. Edward Stourton presents an audio journey in the footsteps of the missionaries.

Street pastors

In an audio feature, Kwame Kwei-Armah explores the 21st century plague of predominantly black-on-black gun crime.

Taizé

The Taizé community is an ecumenical monastic order with a strong devotion to peace and justice through prayer and meditation.

The Pope

The head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Pope John Paul II rules out female priests

John Paul II used his Papal capacity to speak infallibly, effectively banning all future debate on the subject.