Catholic schools in Guernsey 'may have to close' if new discrimination law passes

Bishop Philip Egan has urged the government to allow an exemption for the Catholic Church

The Catholic Church has said schools "may have to close" if a new anti-discrimination law is passed, meaning head teachers would not need to be practising the religion.

The new proposal would protect people from being refused a job based on religion, belief or sexual orientation.

The law faces a vote on 2 November.

The church says it supports anti-discrimination law but having head teachers who are Catholic is an "essential requirement".

They are asking for an amendment to the law making an exemption for Catholic schools.

The Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth sent out a statement entitled "island schools may have to close if assembly policy is passed unamended".

It added that "Bishop Philip Egan has today written to Guernsey's Catholic community warning that the future of Catholic schools may be under threat on the island, including Notre Dame du Rosaire Primary School, St Mary and St Michael School, and Blanchelande College".

If passed, the schools would have a five-year grace period before they had to adopt the new law.

The letter from Bishop Egan, who looks after Guernsey's Catholic community, said: "The church believes that discrimination at any level is wrong, and I fully support the intention behind this policy of tackling discrimination.

"However, it is an essential requirement that those in leadership roles at Catholic schools are Catholic in order to preserve our ethos and approach to education.

"If passed unamended, this policy would have a serious impact on the ability of the Catholic Church to provide the high-quality education in Guernsey that it has done for over 150 years," he said.

Follow BBC Guernsey on Twitter and Facebook. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].