A County Kilkenny based priest who has regularly spoken out against
the evils of drug abuse, has appealed to all drug pushers in County
Kilkenny to “stop destroying families.”
Speaking at the funeral of a heroin addict in Saint Mary's Cathedral
in Kilkenny City, Fr Mark Condon said, “If there are no drug pushers
drawing teenagers into drug use and addiction then we have less
gatherings like we have today.”
And addressing drug pushers directly he challenged them, saying, “If
you are here today and you are a drug dealer, take a good long look at
the faces of the grieving family here today as your actions are
responsible for this pain and this grief.”
“Change! Do not be part of this evil that is affecting every
community in this country; do not become part of the problem, become
part of the solution and stop. Change your ways or you will continue to
destroy families.”
Fr Condon also appealed to the wider community to help drug addicts.
He said, “There is an image of addicts out there in the wider community
that they are in some way unclean, untouchable and unlovable. This is
an image that we need to get rid of; it is always someone's son or
beloved daughter. The person with the problem is seen as the problem,
we need to look again as a community, we must begin to see the person,
the son, the daughter and reach out and offer help.”
SIC: CIN/IE