A leading Catholic bishop in the UK has said that Catholics should “think very carefully” before deciding to vote Liberal Deomcrat in next month’s 
election.
He attacked a key election pledge of the Lib Dems, suggesting it would damage the right of parents “to bring up their children according to their consciences”.
Bishop Malcolm McMahon, the Bishop of Nottingham, attacked the Lib Dem manifesto provision commiting the party to stopping Catholic, Anglican and Jewish schools from selecting pupils on grounds of faith.
At last week’s annual conference the Irish Labour party voted unanimously in favour of a similar policy in the case of national schools.
The English and Welsh Catholic bishops have refused on principle to be drawn into party politics during the general election campaign.
But Bishop McMahon has spoken out, accusing the Liberal Democrats, currently enjoying a surge in the polls, of attempting to end the partnership between the state and the churches in the provision of education.
He joined other critics in saying that the policy will effectively spell the abolition of schools that have succeeded in delivering high quality education over generations.
“Catholics should give it very serious consideration before they vote Liberal Democrat,” said Bishop McMahon, the chairman of the Department for Education of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.
“Our position is that every person should have the right to bring up their children according to their consciences.”
The policy is contained in a section of the Lib Dem election manifesto entitled Freeing Schools for Excellence.
“We will ensure that all faith schools develop an inclusive admissions policy and end unfair discrimination on grounds of faith,” the policy states.
Critics said that if the policy was implemented 4,470 Church of England, 2,300 Catholic and 85 Jewish schools would lose control of the admissions process.