'VIRGIN MARY' UNVEILED WITH DRUG-ABUSE SYMBOLS

A statue of the Virgin Mary, depicting her with symbols of drug
dependency under her feet, was unveiled by the Archbishop of Dublin,
Dr Connell, in Jobstown yesterday.

The statue was unveiled outside the headquarters of Jobstown Assisting
Drugs Dependency, a community group formed to address drug abuse.

Dr Connell said it was "a statue for our times, bringing hope, through
faith and art, to those fighting against drugs and drug-dependency."
The statue, designed by Donal McManus, was specially commissioned to
highlight the community's struggle against drugs.

Dr Connell praised those working against drugs in Jobstown. He said
drug and other dependencies were a problem for all social classes, not
just those communities normally regarded as disadvantaged.

Families and communities throughout the city were affected by drugs
and needed support at different levels: from Government, which must
help resource their efforts; from the media, which must highlight
successes as well as the failures; and from the church, the community
of believers, which needed to show solidarity with those combating
drugs.

"Parishes in particular can play a vital role by supporting local
initiatives to combat drug dependence," Dr Connell said.

He said that in a Christian community families where there were no
drug problems could not turn their backs on others devastated by drug
use. No family could say: "It will never happen to us".

The Archbishop stressed the importance of developing peer support and
referred to a project, piloted in a nearby school by the Diocesan
Drugs Awareness Programme, called "Adventure in the City". Its aim was
to encourage young people to support each other in avoiding drugs.

He said it was not only drug users who needed healing. "Families and
whole communities need support when they are affected by drug
problems. Drug issues can divide families and communities, and when
divisions occur, the dealers prosper."

Checked-by: Patrick Henry