Will coverage of the Pope be as good as this?

On Monday's late-night talk show on BBC1, The Case for God?, the Chief Rabbi took on four challengers - from the ritual-hating novelist Howard Jacobson to the scientific reductionist Colin Blakemore, via historian Lisa Jardine and writer Alain de Botton. 

Jonathan Sacks held a short conversation with each, and we were then shown his and their reactions to the exchange. The format was simple and illuminating. 

There were some predictable theological chestnuts - such as why God allows evil in the world - but there was also a subtle meeting of minds across intellectual divides, partly thanks to Dr Sacks' twinkly charm and obvious sincerity.

Surprisingly, the half-hour programme ended with the Chief Rabbi talking straight to camera, with a short prayer: 

"At this dawn of a new Jewish year, I pray, may we be true to our faith, and a blessing to others, regardless of their faith. As we live in God, may God live in us."

You might have thought that, after half an hour of articulate scepticism, neither he nor his audience would be in the mood for prayer - but somehow it was unforced, and you didn't have to be a believer to feel his words had meaning.

It was an exemplary religious programme, in both taking seriously the Jewish tradition and its British leader, and in acknowledging the doubts of many, inside and outside his tradition. My only quibble is about the question mark at the end of the title. It was really just The Case for God. 

From next Thursday, with much more airtime and investment, broadcasters will report on the Pope's visit, an event that can be interpreted on many levels: the ceremonial, the historical, the political and the personal. 

I hope that somewhere in the mix there will be room for coverage that chimes with the Jonathan Sacks programme: an attempt to grapple with the real claims of the Catholic tradition, and to challenge the Pope's interpretation of that tradition in the light of different beliefs and widespread scepticism.