Church leaders and anti-abortion groups are calling for Amnesty International to be banned from Catholic schools because of the organisation’s stance on abortion.

Kevin Doran, the bishop of Elphin, the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association have all spoken out against the human rights body being allowed to give talks in schools. The calls have been supported by the Life Institute and Pro Life Campaign.

Bishop Doran, whose diocese includes parts of Roscommon, Galway, Sligo and Westmeath, told The Times that Amnesty International promoted “the killing of the innocent” through abortion.

“No individual or organisation which promotes the killing of the innocent should be invited in to speak in a Catholic school. This applies in a particular way to an organisation which would present itself as an advocate of human rights,” he said.