The 2026 meeting of the Church of Ireland’s General Synod marked a return to a fuller rhythm of debate, legislation, and fellowship as members gathered for three days in the Slieve Donard Hotel, Newcastle, County Down.  Opening proceedings, the Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, The Most Reverend John McDowell, delivered a Presidential Address which quickly became one of the defining talking points of the gathering. Framing his remarks around what he described as an increasingly ‘atomised and angry’ world, he argued that the vocation of the Church was to witness to a different way of being human and communal. The Archbishop spoke at length about the social and spiritual implications of artificial intelligence and digital culture. Whilst acknowledging the rapid advance of technology, he warned against allowing efficiency and convenience to become the primary values shaping society. Social media, he suggested, had failed to democratise power and instead...