Father Aidan Troy, the Passionist priest from Holy Cross, in Ardoyne, has appealed for the immediate ending of the Loyalist protest against the route the schoolgirls' walk to and from school.
Father Troy said the protest at Ardoyne Road "has to stop and stop immediately". It is understood that representations are being made on behalf of the pupils and their parents to the Irish and British governments to bring about a resolution to the stand-off.
Since term began, one blast bomb, other missiles including dog excrement and balloons filled with urine have been thrown at the Holy Cross families. They are also subjected to a daily tirade of abuse, much of it sexual in nature.
Father Troy said yesterday: "If it is not possible for our leaders to do that (bring about an end to the protest), then let them stand up and take responsibility for that situation. We cannot allow, and I certainly cannot stand by for a seventh week, and say: 'How are the talks going?'." He said it was no longer morally possible to allow the children, aged from four years to 11, to be subjected to this abuse.
It is understood the families will this week seek to have the Ardoyne Road route to the school opened earlier, and for a longer period, so they can make their way to school in a more normal fashion. Up to now the families form up in a group at a barrier and are then shepherded through lines of RUC Land Rovers, escorted by police in riot gear.
The violence surrounding the protest has caused serious psychological problems for the children and their mothers.
The mothers have also been subjected to intimidation causing one, Ms Philomena Flood, to move out of her home at the weekend. They are resisting pressure to take a more circuitous route to the back of the school.
Loyalist protesters also want a large permanent security gate built across the entrance of Ardoyne Road to the Catholic Ardoyne area. They say this would stop the vandalism and nightly attacks by Catholic teenagers on the Protestant houses near the "peaceline" between the two areas.
During the past six weeks, buses carrying Protestant school children have been attacked by stone throwing Catholic youths. Last Friday a group of Protestant school children joined the loyalist protest after a bus carrying pupils to the Girls and Boys Model schools in north Belfast were attacked.