Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has said baptising a child just to get them into a school is an abuse of the sacrament.
In a homily delivered at the Pro Cathedral in Dublin last night, Archbishop Martin lamented the slow pace of divestment of Catholic schools in Ireland.
However he robustly defended the need for a role for religious education in the Irish schooling structure, adding: "Catholic education is not poison".
He also said that parents who do not want their children to attend religious schools have a right to see their wish respected.