Health experts have, in the past, had ambiguous approaches to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) – once called “venereal disease”, (after Venus, Roman love goddess). Some thought prevention could be assisted by shame and stigma, discouraging people from risking infection by promiscuous relationships. And undoubtedly some preachers portrayed “VD” as a punishment for sexual sins. Yet…
If Florence, Paris, or Rome were, at various times in the progress of European civilisation the central source of influence or ideas, the equivalent in today’s world might be Silicon Valley in California. This is where nearly all the tech revolutions have launched, and to which we owe that gadget in our pockets – the…
British faith leaders – at the time of writing – were still awaiting the decision as to whether all faiths will be included in the Coronation oath of King Charles III on May 6; or if the Church of England will retain its exclusive control over the ceremony. Charles said, back in 1994, that he…
We cannot predict the future of humankind, but nevertheless, experts in various fields continue to do so. In recent weeks, the experts at the investment banking empire Goldman Sachs have been telling us that Artificial Intelligence – the rise and rise of robots engineered by computerised science – will erase about 300 million jobs in…
I was staying with a friend in London last weekend – and so, on Sunday morning, I attended Mass at a parish church which wasn’t much known to me. It’s nearly always interesting to visit a church where one is a stranger, and I found the experience rewarding and even congenial. I wouldn’t want to…
Is the departure of Ryan Tubridy from The Late Late Show the end of an era? Maybe the ‘end of an era’ with the LLS came some time ago. I sometimes ask people what they think of the broadcast nowadays, and the most frequent answer I get is “I hardly ever look at it these…
Ivana Moral, aged 48, is a Spanish housewife who, earlier this month, made history in the Spanish courts. During the course of her divorce, Judge Laura Ruiz Alamino, awarded Senora Moral the sum of €204,624 in recognition of her having been a dutiful housewife for 25 years, and a mother of two who took care…
One of the regrettable trends now emerging in several countries across the western world is the erasing, or sometimes even disappearance, of history. I notice such lamentations on French media, where commentators deplore the decline of historical knowledge. It’s also perceptible in Britain and the United States. Douglas Murray, the British author of The War…
On Ash Wednesday I listened to a thoughtful homily about how we should approach Lent, in a personal capacity. The priest emphasised that we didn’t have to quit something for Lent – we could also embrace something, by way of good works, for example, instead. We could devise a schedule for ourselves on what we…
It’s over a year now since the brutal war in Ukraine commenced, and it’s striking what a unifying effect this has had on Europe – and on domestic politics. Left and right, in the main, are in agreement about supporting Ukraine’s as a sovereign nation; the ubiquity of Ukrainian flags from Cork to Copenhagen attests…