One way or another, we are going to be living in a future that is increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence, writes David Quinn Over the past couple of decades we have already seen how machines such as smartphones and tablets have become so all-pervasive. These are very different from the earlier sorts of machines that…
Is there a deeper existential crisis which social media is making worse, asks David Quinn Ireland is supposed to be the most liberated it has ever been, and yet at the same time we seem to witnessing a surge in mental health problems among young people, especially adolescent girls, and not just in Ireland, but…
Synod can’t cast Christian teachings on marriage into doubt, writes David Quinn Some readers of this newspaper will have taken part in the parish gatherings that are part of a worldwide ‘synodal process’ that is underway at the instruction of Pope Francis. Parish gatherings fed into diocese-level reports, which then fed into a national report.…
Using gendered language for God goes back to Jesus himself, writes David Quinn It was inevitable that one day a concerted effort would be made to introduce gender-neutral language to describe God. It has already been the case in more radical religious circles that the names given to the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity,…
Pope Francis warns that an addiction to the occult still plagues Africa, writes David Quinn Pope Francis was in Africa last week visiting two very troubled countries, namely the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, the newest nation on the continent. Congo has the biggest Catholic population in Africa, numbering 45 million in all.…
We are moving towards a society that will no longer be liberal in any true sense, writes David Quinn Enoch Burke must by now be the most famous teacher in Ireland, and possibly in the history of the Irish State. Mr Burke has been in the news for weeks due to his showdown with his…
In combating authoritarianism we have dismantled true authority, writes David Quinn Violent attacks on Gardaí are becoming more common. A few weeks ago, a Garda car was rammed in Cherry Orchard in Dublin, while two members of the force were seriously assaulted around the same time in Ballyfermot. In an incident last weekend, a Garda…
We’re no better than the Irish of the past who also preferred to turn away from inconvenient and uncomfortable facts, writes David Quinn Over the Christmas period, the master of the Rotunda Hospital revealed that 95% of parents in Down Syndrome cases choose abortion. The figure is horrific, the revelation stunning, but it caused almost…
Catholic schools must be allowed to admit on the basis of religion, writes David Quinn From time to time, articles appear in newspapers using the extremely loaded term ‘Baptism barrier’. It refers to a policy, now outlawed, which allowed Catholic schools to admit Catholic children ahead of other children in the event of over-enrolment. All…
Pope Benedict had been well and truly reduced to a caricature, but what we really had was a humble, courteous and holy man, writes David Quinn After Joseph Ratzinger was elected pope in 2005, it was eagerly anticipated by some, and feared by others, that he would begin a new crackdown on theological dissent within…