A local parish priest has expressed his fear for parishioners after it was revealed that addicts are using church toilets to shoot up and get their fix.
Fr Michael Cusack said he is fearful junkies will either attack vulnerable parishioners or cause damage to St Joseph’s Redemptorist Church on the St Alphonsus Road.
He is now asking the public for advice on how to tackle the problem without having to close the doors of the church.
He told the Irish Daily Mirror: “There are several churches in Dundalk but we’re the only one with a toilet so I think that’s why we are being targeted.
“Every day we are finding bottles, cans and syringes in the bins. On any day there can be three or four individuals outside of the church and coming in and out to use the facilities.
“I am appealing for guidance from the community. I don’t want to lock the doors or the toilet because there are people who need it and want to come here to worship.”
Fr Cusack said he is worried that the situation could turn more sinister if action is not taken. He explained: “We are continually in contact with gardai and trying to work with them to help these people who have very difficult lives.
“Nobody has been attacked yet but that is what I am anticipating could happen.
“People going in and out of the church, particularly more vulnerable and older people, have been verbally threatened and harassed.
“It does not happen during the busy hours at the weekend but during the day on weekdays, when it is quieter. It does make people a bit wary.”
Fr Cusack added he is also anxious that the church itself could be damaged.
He said: “We have CCTV throughout the building but we are still finding large amounts of bottles and cans, cigarette butts and syringes.
“The bathrooms smell of smoke and there is a very real risk of fire.”
Speaking on LMFM yesterday, he warned giving people on the street money could prolong their addiction.
The priest appealed for them to donate through organisations such as Simon and the Peter McVerry Trust instead.
He added: “I think sometimes our giving is misguided towards those who are begging on the streets and on the steps of the church, particularly to those who are addicted.
“Rather than helping them, we are enabling them to get further and further into their addiction.
“We have a policy here not to give cash out to those who come asking for it because you would start immediately a flow. One communicates with another and suddenly you would have a row of people expecting there’s a cash cow.”
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