In late July, a group of Evangelical Protestants called ‘Christian Voices Ireland’ organised an event in the National Boxing Stadium in Dublin to protest aspects of the new Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) programme currently being rolled out in Irish secondary schools. SPHE incorporates Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE).
Our MEPs have voted in favour of the sale of embryos
Too many of our laws are passed by the EU, with little more than a rubber stamp, writes David Quinn Do you know anything about the voting record of your MEP, or what they get up to generally in Brussels or Strasbourg? The answer is, probably not. I don’t. I pay far more attention to…
Church leaders need to take part in coming Covid inquiry
We can’t forget that in our lifetime, the Government actually criminalised going to Mass, writes David Quinn Dr Tony Holohan became probably the most famous face in Ireland during the Covid-19 pandemic. As the country’s Chief Medical Officer, it was he the Government turned to in order to steer us through the crisis. He chaired…
A simplistic take on the Church and sex ed
Does Sadlier really believe his teachings will lead to sexual nirvana? David Quinn asks The programme opens with a shot of a cross and the presenter informing us: “As a predominantly Catholic country, Ireland always had a complicated relationship with sex and sexuality.” Immediately, there is a problem with the narrative. It is predictable, cliched,…
What Census 2022 reveals about the Irish family
Depending on your point of view, the Irish family is either becoming more ‘diverse’, which is apparently a good thing, or instead we have more family breakdown, which is obviously a bad thing, generally speaking.
Demonising of religious in BBC Magdalene drama is unfair
The portrayal of priests and nuns in ‘The Woman in the Wall’ is unfair and unjust, writes David Quinn There was a time when Catholic priests and nuns were depicted as kindly, charitable figures. Think of Bing Crosby as Fr Charles ‘Chuck’ O’Malley in Going My Way, or the Fr Brown mysteries by GK Chesterton which…
Church and medicine often guilty of the same failings
Once again, reputation protection was deemed more important than victims and survivors, writes David Quinn This week, nurse Lucy Letby found out that she will spend the rest of her life behind bars. She was found guilty of the murder of seven babies in her care at the Countess of Chester hospital in Britain. She…
The movie version of exorcisms versus the real thing
The Church understands that demonic possession is very rare, writes David Quinn The most famous horror movie ever made is probably The Exorcist, which was released in 1973 causing a worldwide sensation and drawing huge crowds to watch it. The director of the movie, William Friedkin, died last week aged 87. Mr Friedkin himself was…
Govt ignores pro-life alternatives to IVF
Why is the Government funding IVF and not pro-life alternatives, writes David Quinn Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has announced that the State will pay couples for a full cycle of IVF under a new scheme to be introduced in September. This is a response to the growing problem of infertility in Ireland, a problem that…
The Church’s ‘doctrinal watchdog’ takes a worrying new turn
The core of Catholic moral theology is under severe pressure from quarters within the Church itself, writes David Quinn The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) is one of the most important offices in the Vatican and in the Church worldwide. Its most famous recent prefect was Joseph Ratzinger. He was appointed in…

David Quinn









