Bishops: Lisbon no threat to protections for unborn

THE Lisbon Treaty “does not undermine existing legal protections in Ireland for unborn children”, the country’s Catholic bishops have said.

In a statement that was welcomed by the Yes campaign, the bishops also condemned “misleading, incorrect [and] irrelevant” material and said such material “has no place in church buildings or grounds”. This was seen as a clear reference to leaflets left by No campaigners in a number of churches claiming a Yes vote could result in abortion and euthanasia being introduced in Ireland.

The bishops did not urge people to vote a particular way, saying: “While we do not seek to align ourselves with either side of the referendum debate, we wish to make it clear that a Catholic can, in good conscience, vote Yes or No.”