News & Views
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Can we escape Technology?
“AI doesn’t affect me. I have no computer.” This is a quote I heard from an older person recently. While it sounds very comforting for the person – is it really true? There have been cyber attacks for many years. These attacks target computer systems and try to compromise confidentiality, integrity or access to the…
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Hope in Dialogue
Year of St Francis of Assisi It is said that Francis of Assisi had times when he was withdrawing from the world and spending time in solitude and in nature, and then there were times when he felt urged to travel. In 1219 he went on board of a crusader ship and was heading towards…
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The Feast of the Rosary & Religious Freedom
For us Catholics the 7th of October is the celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, which used to be known as the Feast of Our Lady of Victory. On this day we remember the Battle of Lepanto (1571) in which Catholic forces from several countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea victoriously defended…
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Can Artificial Intelligence think?
Many years ago, I watched a movie which featured a couple of children who were born at a specific time on a specific date and through the influence of extra-terrestrial circumstances, they turned out to be extremely intelligent.First, their parents were amazed and proud of them, but when the parents realised that their children’s intelligence…
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Serve with Good Will
Interfaith Event at Old Selwyn Church in Howick “Howick was not always a desirable place to live”… This introduction to the book “Grey’s Folly” by the Howick historian Alan La Roche might sound incredible when you visit this beautiful part of Auckland today.One of the places where we can feel the ups and downs of…
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Out of Control?
Some years ago, I visited a friend who had a young hunting dog. He was very proud of how he was training his dog and how the dog was performing at competitions.When I asked him to give me an example, he took me to a nearby lake where he had been training his dog. He…
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AI and the Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Pride, laziness, impatience and over-confidence without carefully evaluating the consequences. An apprentice wants to imitate the master without having either the full knowledge nor the wisdom that the master had acquired over years.This story might be as old as humanity, but nobody described it so poignantly as the German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in…
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Tūmanako – Hope for Peace in the World
“Peace cannot be attained through violence. It can only be attained through understanding.” A wise statement coming from a young student who painted a flying peace dove with an olive branch.On the 9th of August 2026, the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, three days after the anniversary of the atomic bombing of…
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Liturgical Spirituality
Catholics are aware of rules and regulations when it comes to celebrating Mass. During the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) many existing rules were revised. The participants of the Council looked at the roots of the practices in the Church, the origin of some traditions that were introduced in later centuries and which might have led…
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Virtues – Our Special Qualities
Virtues are part of being human – they are “values in action”.At this year’s Auckland Inter-Faith Council’s Dialogue & Learning event, Margaret Mohamed introduced the participants to the Virtues Project which was developed in Canada 35 years ago and offers tools for personal growth and healing, and a path to deeper meaning, purpose and joy…