If fewer schools were Catholic, they could also be much richer in faith, according to a leading bishop.

Speaking to the Catholic Primary School Managers Association (CPSMA), Bishop Denis Nulty said that Catholic schools must “ensure they remain Catholic.”

This may mean, he said “being part of a fair and transparent divestment process, when the stakeholders feel they would be better served under a different patronage, but the schools that remain, and that will be a substantial number of them, in my opinion, must be allowed to be unapologetically Catholic schools.”

Bishop Nulty said that the Catholic ethos must permeate the whole school: “you literally smell it from the moment you set foot in the hallway or press the reception bell to gain entry. There is a prayer space there but there also is a space for prayer.”

Bishop Nulty lamented the low number of Catholic school teachers who profess the faith and especially among those in leadership positions.

“Those charged with making appointments” he said “should understand deeply this competency. We need to do much more to encourage the development of faith in our schools and on our leadership teams.”