The opening of the Centre for Culture, Technology and Values at Mary Immaculate College in Limerick this week was marked by a seminar on the effect of technology on spirituality.
Dr Eamonn Conway, of the department of theology and religious studies, said the centre's task was to explore the perception that human nature had been turned into a project, "and that homo sapiens has evolved into techno sapiens". The college, a primary teacher training centre, has developed a strong liberal arts programme.
The president of the pontifical council for culture, Cardinal Paul Poupard, attended the inaugural seminar on "The Digital and the Divine". He said the relationship between faith and Irish culture had to be reassessed in the light of developments of the last decade. "Clearly, as the Celtic Tiger prowls through the land, everyone here is very curious and concerned to know what the long-term effects of his or her sojourn in the land of saints and scholars will be," he said.
Cardinal Poupard headed a commission which in 1992 acknowledged Galileo was correct that the Earth moved around the Sun and ended the ban on his books.
Cardinal Poupard said the Catholic Church had recognised it had benefited from and was "not afraid of science", in the Pope's words. But there was an urgent need for "a constant and courteous" dialogue between people of faith and those involved in scientific research.
Creativity allied to an awareness of one's humanity would mean the work of the most highly qualified researchers should hold no threat to their fellow men and women.
Commenting after his talk, he said the Internet presented "a devilish difficulty" because, for young people, it represented a departure from classical education where there was a parent or teacher looking benevolently over their shoulder.
Dr Gary McDarby, a research scientist in MediaLab Europe, said increasingly realistic and interactive computer games were playing a part in people's lives. While interactive games could be a tool for therapy, there was a strong sense they could "bring humanity backwards".
Dr McDarby said "You really need a mixture of philosophers, theologians, scientists, psychologists and artists to come together and look at how you can use these environments constructively."
MediaLab, based at the former Guinness Hopstore in Dublin's city centre, is a high-tech research centre and multimedia college which will begin taking students in September.