Chiefs of Bank of England, Ofsted and GCHQ head Tablet list of leading 100 Catholics

The Tablet magazine believes the leading lay Catholic in British life is Bank of England governor Mark Carney.

Carney heads the list of the leading 100 lay Catholics, with Chief Inspector of Schools Sir Michael Wilshire taking the runner up spot followed by Robert Hannigan, the director of GCHQ.

The criterion used to come up with this list is difficult to define, with Catholics from many walks of public life being highlighted. So there are those two old corporate favourites of the Catholic Church, Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever (8) and Vittorio Colao, CEO of Vodafone (26).

Many will be disturbed to see the former Prime Minister Tony Blair coming in at 17^th, just pipping Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith (18).

The favourite Catholic news reader Julie Etchingham comes in at 35, with Spectator editor Frazer Nelson at 56.

Football pops up in the middle ranks, with Wayne Rooney and wife Coleen coming in at 46, just ahead of Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, who shares 48^th place with player Didier Droghba.

The arts are represented with Frank Cottrell Boyce (53) and Danny Boyle (63). Though while they seem to win just about any TV award going Ant and Dec can only muster 78^th on the Tablet list.

The workers don’t seem rate very highly, with TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady being the sole representative coming in at 81^{st –}   six behind the Duke of Norfolk.

Bringing up the rear on the Tablet list are its own old timers Austen Ivereigh, former deputy editor of the Tablet and Catholic Voices co-founder, (99) and columnist Clifford Longley (100).

The list will no doubt stir debate, though perhaps the most interesting discussion should be about how much this says about Catholics in public life and how much it is an indication of tastes at the Tablet?   

*Full list see www.thetablet.co.uk