The Religion and Ethics Report - Separate stories podcast ABC listen

In a timely warning, psychiatrist Tanveer Ahmed says violence can be the darkest form of the search for belonging. What motivates a terrorist, from a psychological perspective?

Is Pope Francis a man of the left or a more cuddly version of a classic church conservative? Since the release of his latest statement on human dignity, both sides are claiming him.

The Vatican and the French government are in a major stand-off. It's over the question of whether the state can prevent the Church from sacking a nun.

The hand waves, the music pumps, and the preacher wearing branded sneakers, skips across a stage. It's the face of modern religion, but is there a line between belief and entertainment?

In countries where governments drove major investigations into child sexual abuse, churches have since imposed much stronger safeguards for children. That's according to a new study by the Australian Catholic University.

Australia's national cabinet met this week to try to curb the domestic violence crisis. And women's advocates have renewed their call to restrict the access children and teens have to online pornography.