Bishop Bill Murphy of Kerry has said Ireland needs a “moral conversion” to replace the growing culture of violence in the country. Speaking at a recent seminar on violence in society in Tralee, the bishop said many people were now "growing numb" at the daily flow of murders, assaults and road deaths in the news.
Old values of right and wrong were needed to reverse the rising tide of violent behaviour that was destroying peoples’ lives and their families, Dr Murphy declared.
"Violence, in its many forms, is destroying the lives, dignity and hopes of many families,” he said.
“Fear of violence has become a feature of many people’s lives, especially for those living in some of our housing estates, which have been scarred by beatings, robberies, murder and abuse".
Meanwhile, the portrayal of violence in the media, TV, music and even video games was, he claimed “poisoning the minds and distorting the lives of many children”, the bishop said.
"The lives of many people have been blighted by a culture of violence that leaves people dead on our streets and gunned down in their homes."
"We must not underestimate the effect such violence has on the minds and attitudes of young people and the threat it poses for the future of Irish society," he remarked.
Bishop Murphy said it was easy and unfair to demand that the Government and the Gardaí do something to tackle violent behaviour and the onus was on everyone in society to play their part and behave responsibly themselves.
“New legislation, new measures, bigger prisons, more Gardaí and more resources will help but will not of themselves bring an end to the kind of violence we are witnessing daily," he claimed.
"As a people, we need a moral conversion in order to replace a culture of violence with a renewed sense of justice, responsibility and community” .
"As a people, we need to recover the old values of right and wrong, respect and responsibility, love and justice and peace".
The bishop said that he and his colleagues had not avoided their own responsibilty to show leadership and had prepared a discussion document on violence in Irish society soon to be made public.
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(Source: CIN)