The challenge of violence in society may only be overcome by "the mobilisation of communities" and by active citizenship, the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin has said.
Dr Diarmuid Martin told senior judges and lawyers at a special Mass at St Michan's Catholic church in Dublin yesterday, marking the opening of the new law term, that while the law had a role to play in setting standards of behaviour, preventing unjust behaviour, curbing arrogance and protecting the weak, it would not, on its own, create a virtuous society.
Rather, he urged, law must be "rooted in our communities".
"Law and its administration belong within the broader context of the formation of a just society, of a community where people live together in relationships of equity and collaboration and caring and restoring. Law and its administration belong within the community and serve the community."
Dr Martin told the congregation that they well knew that virtue could not be legislated.
Society was changing and, when that happened, old social structures come under strain as they attempted to respond both to change and to what must be the constants in ensuring cohesion in society, he said.
Ireland was fortunate in still having lively and solid communities which were adaptable to change and were also supportive, especially of those most vulnerable to change or most vulnerable in a time of change.
"In parts of our cities, that same sense of community is being established only with difficulty and at times is being challenged by organised crime," he said.
"It is in places where society does not function adequately that anti-social behaviour finds its breeding ground."
He said law would only be an instrument for coming together if it was situated, rooted and owned by our communities. There were many movements in the process of redefining and giving new impetus to "active citizenship".
This involved families, churches, schools and volunteer groups coalescing into communities, cementing the fabric of society and becoming the primary agents for supporting and transmitting common values.
Dr Martin was also strongly critical of the military regime in Burma, saying it was an example of what St Augustine meant when he said that a State which was not governed according to justice "would be just a bunch of thieves".
At the St Michan's Church of Ireland service to mark the opening of the new law term, the Bishop of Ossory, the Rt Rev Michael Burrows, criticised the legislature for failing to enact legislation in the aftermath of the X abortion case.
Among the congregations yesterday were the ambassadors of Norway, South Africa, Slovenia and Germany; Ms Justice Susan Denham of the Supreme Court; the Chief Justice of Northern Ireland, Sir Brian Kerr; Mr Justice Declan Budd of the High Court, and the president of the Law Reform Commission and former Supreme Court judge, Ms Justice Catherine McGuinness.
