There’s a lot of commentary these days about mental health, that of celebrities in particular. I’m currently concerned about the mental health of society, and some items in the media this week suggest I have good grounds for my concerns. Last Wednesday I heard it reported widely that US envoy Steve Witkoff had called President…

I wrote about the weight of pain last week. It didn’t let up. Time (BBC One, Sunday) was a hard-hitting prison drama series that ended last weekend. This was its third series, from writer Jimmy McGovern, and it was marked as before by gritty realism, with a strong helping of empathic humanity. It made for…

Sometimes the weight of pain from watching the news can become too much. Thursday of last week was a case in point. There was the ongoing bombing of civilian targets in Ukraine by the Russian army – in particular the strikes on two buses which killed 33 people – particularly cynical and brutal. An apartment…

It was depressing to see community conflict raising its ugly head again in the North. After the initial standoff over the Drumcree/Garvaghy Road march it rumbled on for a week. The only sign of hope at the time of writing is that it didn’t turn violent. On Morning Ireland (RTÉ Radio 1, Tuesday) former Taoiseach…

It was a week with so many emotional and intellectual highs and lows. Among the highs was Pope Leo’s visit to France, which garnered quite a bit of attention, especially on Friday of last week, when the visit began. RTÉ gave it prominence, fair enough, but they chose to tack on, from the start, a…

We have seen it so many times – a law gets liberalised to the extent that parliamentarians or the public will accept, and then, despite assurances, safeguards gradually get chipped away. The ongoing effort to remove the three-day wait to access abortion ‘services’ attracted a little attention last week, but not enough, considering the life…

In last week’s edition I had a special article about the media and the 9/11 attacks. Films are still being made about the tragedy. Colm Flynn’s excellent new programme Hope after 9/11 – Stories of Faith and Courage (EWTN, Saturday), explored the role played by religious faith, mainly through inspiring personal stories. The story of…

September often sees the return of old shows. Sunday Morning Live (BBC One) returned recently for a new season, and among the issues discussed on last Sunday’s show was the thorny one of accountability for crimes committed by soldiers. This has a particular relevance for legacy issues in Northern Ireland. As is often the case,…

Last week I wrote about Fr Michael Baggott, a professor lecturing AI and ethics in the Vatican, on foot of a BBC appearance. I wasn’t expecting to come across him again so soon. He gave a very comprehensive interview on The Claire Byrne Show (Newstalk, Tuesday). As before he was articulate, personable and reasonable –…

I’m a fan of practical AI tools, but conscious of the broader dangers involved. ‘The Vatican’s AI Battle’ was the rather alarmist subtitle of Heart and Soul (BBC World Service, Friday). The issue raised was “What a God-like Artificial Intelligence might mean for humanity”. American priest in the Vatican, Fr Michael Baggot, who lectured in…