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Guli Francis-Dehqani, Church of England Bishop

Guli Francis-Dehqani, the bishop of Chelmsford, shares the eight tracks, book and luxury item she would take with her if cast away to a desert island. With Lauren Laverne.

The Rt Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani is the Bishop of Chelmsford. She also sits in Parliament as a Lord Spiritual and last year she played a prominent role in the Coronation, administering Holy Communion to the King and Queen.

She was born in Isfahan, central Iran, the youngest of four children to Hassan Dehqani-Tafti, the first ethnic Iranian Anglican Bishop of his country, and his wife Margaret. In 1980, in the wake of the Islamic Revolution, her family were targeted and forced to leave the country. She arrived in the UK aged 13 as a refugee. Four decades on, Guli has yet to set foot on Iranian soil.

She was ordained as a deacon in 1998 and a priest the following year. She was consecrated a bishop in November 2017, making her the first woman from a minority ethnic background to be ordained as an Anglican bishop in the UK.

She is the lead Bishop for Housing for the Church of England and is a contributor to Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 4s Thought for the Day. She is married to Lee, who is a priest, and they have three children.

DISC ONE: Requiem in D Minor, Op. 48: VI. Libera me. Composed by Gabriel Fauré and performed by Stephen Varcoe (baritone), The Cambridge Singers, conducted by John Rutter
DISC TWO: Morgh-e Sahar - Homayoun Shajarian and Dastan Ensemble
DISC THREE: Ride on Time - Black Box
DISC FOUR: Miniatures for Piano Trio. Set 2: No. 4, Romance. Composed by Frank Bridge and performed by Alexander Chaushian and Ashley Wass
DISC FIVE: Variations on Bahram’s Melody. Composed by Bahram Dehqani-Tafti and performed by Gabriel Francis-Dehqani with Fiona Sweeney, Krystof Kohout and Will Harmer
DISC SIX: Take me to Church - Sinead O’Connor
DISC SEVEN: Sovereign Light Café - Keane
DISC EIGHT: Mahi - Golnar Shahyar, Mahan Mirarab, (feat. Luis Guerra)

BOOK CHOICE: The Book of Kings
LUXURY ITEM: Photo albums
CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Requiem in D Minor, Op. 48: VI. Libera me. Composed by Gabriel Fauré and performed by Stephen Varcoe (baritone), The Cambridge Singers, conducted by John Rutter

Presenter Lauren Laverne
Producer Paula McGinley

Available now

37 minutes

Last on

Fri 19 Jan 2024 09:00
Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 4

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Music Played

  • Gabriel Fauré

    Requiem in D Minor, Op. 48: VI. Libera me

    Choir: The Cambridge Singers. Conductor: John Rutter. Singer: Stephen Varcoe.
    • Fauré: Requiem & Other Sacred Music.
    • Collegium.
    • 6.

  • Homayoun Shajarian and Dastan Ensemble

    Morgh-e Sahar

    • Mayeh-ye bashti & Mayeh-ye Isfahan: Iranian Classical Music.

  • Black Box

    Ride On Time

    • Amazing 80s.
    • UMOD (Universal Music On Demand).
    • 13.

  • Frank Bridge

    Miniatures for Piano Trio. Set 2: No. 4, Romance

    Performer: Jack Liebeck.
    • Bridge, F: Piano Trios Nos. 1 and 2 / Miniatures for Piano Trio.
    • Naxos.
    • 12.

  • Gabriel Francis-Dehqani, Fiona Sweeney, KryÅ¡tof Kohout & Will Harmer

    Variations on Bahram's Melody

  • Sinéad O’Connor

    Take Me To Church

    • I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss.
    • Nettwerk Music Group.
    • 10.

  • Keane

    Sovereign Light Café

    • Strangeland.
    • Universal-Island Records Ltd..
    • 5.

  • Golnar Shahyar, Mahan Mirarab,

    Mahi (feat. Luis Guerra)

    • Derakht.
    • Lotus Records.
    • 4.

Broadcasts

  • Sun 14 Jan 2024 11:15
    Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 4
  • Fri 19 Jan 2024 09:00
    Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 4

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