Bishop warns of drug dangers

Youth drugs and alcohol problems linked with ‘emptiness’ – Neary

Áine Ryan

DRUG abuse, road deaths, poverty, victims of crime and personal abuse were all issues highlighted in the Archbishop of Tuam’s 2007 Christmas message. The circumstances of the country’s emigrants and immigrants was also addressed, as well as those who continue to be marginalised in a society of ‘plenty and abundance’– Travellers, refugees, addicts, single-parent families. Archbishop Michael Neary also referred to the topical subject of the protection of our environment and the increased stresses on parenting and children.
“Respect for life, unexpected death and serious injury often caused by motor accidents continue to be a major concern, along with the growing rates of lawlessness and serious crime. My sympathies go out to those at this time of the year who have been affected in any way by any of these serious concerns,” said Dr Neary. 
Regarding the burgeoning drug problem, he asked: “Is the resort to drugs and alcohol, especially by young people, an expression of frustration with the emptiness they experience in life? Are we enabling them as society and Church by giving them interpersonal and social skills and the necessary faith and hope to be able to cope with whatever crosses they encounter?”
He observed that the post Celtic Tiger economic prosperity might well be ‘showing signs of slowing down’ but, nevertheless, ‘the gap between the rich and the poor seems to be alive and well’, with those on the margins of society continuing to experience ‘hardship and difficulty’.
He criticised the increased pressures being put on young children ‘to look and behave like adults’. 
“Because of the consumer-driven industry of fashion, glamour and image being promoted, many children are being robbed of the innocence of childhood at a very young age,” he said.
Welcoming home the country’s emigrants, he reflected on ‘those who could not come home’. He also extended a welcome to the many immigrants who have enriched ‘our workforce’ and expressed concern about the impact of the downturn in the economy on their future job prospects in Ireland.
“Care for the environment, protection against pollution, quality of drinking water, global warming and climate change have been big issues throughout the year. This has raised some ethical questions concerning life-style especially in the wake of the recent bad summer and the effect this has had on farming, rural life and tourism. It is an issue that will demand much attention in the future,” continued Archbishp Neary.
The Archbishop also focussed on the many diocesan challenges due to ‘rising secularism, materialism along with the recent troubles in the Church’. However, he also noted that there had been a significant increase in students studying for the priesthood from the dioceses in 2007, and that the numbers of pilgrims to Knock and Croagh Patrick continued to rise.
The future should be one of ‘hope and joy’, he said.
 “As Christians, we are people of hope and people of joy. Pope Benedict XVI, in his latest encyclical on Christian Hope (Spe Salvi), talks about the great hope our faith offers us in a world of indifference and empty materialism. No matter what happens we carry this hope with us because of the Christ event, the coming of Jesus Christ in the incarnation and through the redemption won for us through the Cross and Resurrection,” the Archbishop said.
He then concluded: “At this special time of the year, this time of profound religious significance, I pray that the message of the Christ-Child would be reborn in our land, in our homes, in our hearts and souls this Christmas season.  Peace, joy, health, happiness, along with many blessings and graces to all for a joyful and fulfilling new year in 2008.