The signs of the times can sometimes directly contradict the Church, writes David Quinn Throughout the history of Christianity there have been battles over what is true and false, right and wrong. These battles have often been fierce, and sometimes violent. In the early Church there were tremendous disputes over the doctrine of the Holy…
Rushdie attack exposes liberal doubts about free speech
A vile act has prompted almost no debate at all about radical Islam and its threat to the values of the West, writes David Quinn Almost all societies have a concept of ‘blasphemy’, which broadly speaking means to mock the most deeply held beliefs and values of a society. Historically speaking, those beliefs and values…
A very modern scandal our politicians are ignoring
Surrogacy and gender reassignment surgery are the scandals of modern Ireland, writes David Quinn Different times produce different sorts of scandals, and they are often the product of the particular set of values a given society has at a given moment. As we are now well aware, in the past babies were frequently taken away…
‘Safe access zone’ law may need to be challenged in court
The Government has chosen to ignore the facts to make a political point, writes David Quinn The Government seems intent on passing a so-called ‘safe access zone’ law. The very term ‘safe access’ is a loaded one. It implies that if pro-life activists are anywhere near a hospital or clinic that provides abortions, women will…
TDs push to further weaken the family
For those who believe strongly in the importance of marriage, is it even worth fighting for anymore asks David Quinn It seems we might have another referendum on the family next year. That’s if the Oireachtas Committee on Gender Equality has its way. The committee has in its sights the sections of the Constitution that…
Campaigners want porn taught in school
Maybe teaching children something about pornography is inevitable and necessary, writes David Quinn Pornography will now be studied as part of a new Relationships and Sexuality Education programme to the taught at Junior Certificate level in the country’s secondary schools. That is the latest diktat from the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) that…
What the demise of Boris says about character in politics
It wasn’t his opponents but his chaotic, rule-breaking nature that pulled him down in the end, writes David Quinn When Bill Clinton was American president, the issue of character loomed large. Was a man with such an obviously flawed character a suitable person for arguably the world’s most important job? The answer came to depend…
The synodal process cannot allow itself to be manipulated
Wherever the synodal process goes, it cannot break with core Church teachings, writes David Quinn When I attended one of the synodal meetings in my parish in Dublin a number of months ago that discussed the issues facing the Church in the archdiocese, some of my initial concerns about where the whole process might go…
Repeal of Roe v Wade gives us hope
As usual, people are being given the wrong impression by our media about the implications of the overturning by the US Supreme Court of Roe v Wade, the 1973 ruling that effectively made abortion legal up to birth in all 50 states of America. To judge by some of what you have heard or read,…
The problem with Michael D.
The response of President Higgins to the massacre of Nigerian Catholics was tone-deaf in the extreme, writes David Quinn At least President Michael D. Higgins thought to mention the recent brutal attack on Mass-goers in southwestern Nigeria that left 40 dead and 87 injured. I’m not aware of any of our other political leaders doing…
David Quinn









