It is only through establishing healthy communities that we will overcome the horrors of the violence we have seen again and again on our streets, the Archbishop of Dublin Dr Diarmuid Martin has said.
"The type of Dublin we create in the future will depend very much on the level of community responsibility we manage to engender," he said.
He was speaking at the launch yesterday of the annual review of Crosscare, the Catholic social care agency of the Dublin archdiocese. It took place in Blanchardstown at the first of five new community-based services it plans to open around the city.
"Some months ago I asked for a greater community mobilisation against this violence. The response from many was to say that the level of violence is lower than that in other European countries. Thank God that this is the case, but can we really sit back and think that this is sufficient?" he asked.
"The reactions of fear that many show in the face of the current gangland violence is a frightening cry of victory to those who wish to impose their will by force. Fear is what they want to create," he continued. "Violence shows disregard for human life and unless addressed disregard only spreads . . . Enough lives have been ruined; let all who can do something about it work together," he said.
Referring to Crosscare he said the work it did and its ethos were "a real antidote to the culture of violence because they are inspired by a Christian love which gives itself to others so that others may be who they should be".
He thanked the Capuchin Fathers for placing the new premises in Blanchardstown at the disposal of Crosscare. "This is yet another example of the commitment of the Capuchins to serving the poor in Dublin, here in Blanchardstown, in Halston Street and Church Street, in Raheny and in Priorswood. They truly keep alive among us the charisma of St Francis in an exemplary way," he said. He pointed out that since becoming archbishop he had stressed that all the caring services in the diocese should not be focused on Dublin city centre alone.
"We should all remember just how precarious the economic situation of so many people is today. We should remember the fragility that is present in many lives, especially many young people," he said. Crosscare was an agency in the Dublin diocese "of which we can all be proud", he said.
Over the years "it has effectively been building up community and creating an awareness of needs of others and a sense of responsibility for each other. We need lively, caring and responsible communities," he said.
Crosscare's four homeless projects helped an estimated 70 people a night find accommodation this past year.
It served 30,000 hot meals at three inner-city food services while 100 voluntary groups benefited from its food bank, built up from surpluses provided by suppliers. This is the only service of its kind in Ireland.
It also helped 2,000 people with its migrant support project in Cathedral Street and 1,200 needing help with housing and social welfare.
There was also considerable demand for its teen counselling services, its drug and alcohol programmes, its traveller inclusion and disability awareness programmes as well as its second chance education programmes and young people's care services. These latter services will form a central part of Crosscare's expansion in the greater Dublin area in 2008.