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Starting on Wednesday 16 March, this year's Lent Talks see six well-known figures reflect on different elements of conflict found in the story of Jesus' ministry and Passion from the perspective of their own personal and professional experience.

Each year to mark Lent, ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 4 commissions six, 15-minute talks from eminent and influential writers and thinkers; one for each Wednesday evening during Lent.

This year, former Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Lord Ian Blair, reflects on the conflict between religion and public life; the Imam of the Ground Zero Islamic Centre, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, talks about the conflict between identity and faith; Catholic writer and commentator, Austen Ivereigh escapes the cycle of conflict by becoming the forgiving victim; Professor Stephen Reicher, a social psychologist from St Andrew's University, explains human’s propensity for conflict; columnist Madeleine Bunting explores the unmet appetite for justice in the current financial and political spheres; and Mark Oakley, Canon Treasurer of St Paul's Cathedral, reflects on the choices Christ faced on the Cross and the agony of personal conflict.

The Christian season of Lent is traditionally a time for self-examination and reflection on universal human conditions such as temptation, betrayal, abandonment, greed, forgiveness and love. The main theme for this year’s talks will explore conflict in different forms and how it interacts with various aspects of society and culture.

The Lent Talks are broadcast every Wednesday from 16 March for six weeks on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 4 at 8.45pm and repeated every Sunday at 12.30am.

´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 4 Publicity