Dublin  - Ireland's Catholic Church has told its followers they are free to vote either way in next month's referendum on the EU's Lisbon Treaty, it was reported Tuesday
- and criticised as misinformation some claims that the treaty will permit abortion in Ireland.

Leaflets claiming that a "Yes" vote in the October referendum would undermine Ireland's legal protection for the unborn have been distributed outside churches by a fundamentalist Catholic lay group called Coir.

In a statement, the Standing Committee of the church said that a Catholic can, in good conscience, vote "Yes" or "No" to the treaty.

But they warned that "any material which misinforms voters is an interference with the exercise of a fundamental right and has no place in church buildings or grounds."

The bishops did not name the publication or the group Coir, which has claimed consistently that the Lisbon Treaty will introduce abortion in Ireland.

A successful "No" campaign blocked the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty in June 2008 and Ireland is set to hold a second referendum on the treaty on October 2.

The committee, which comprises 12 of the country's 32 serving Catholic bishops and includes all four archbishops, falls short of advocating approval of the treaty, however.

The committee said the treaty's pooling of sovereignty in specific areas could strengthen the common good, according to the reports.

The bishops warned that this must not be allowed to weaken one of the EU's core principles to date, namely that a central authority should perform only those tasks which can't be performed effectively at a local level.

Protestant church leaders have effectively backed the treaty, warning that a "No" vote would increase Ireland's isolation with implications for the country's future in the current economic crisis.

The Church of Ireland's Specialist Committee on Europe, the Methodist President and the Quakers' Clerk said a rejection of Lisbon would indefinitely hinder enlargement.

This, they said, would deny to others the enormous benefits Ireland has enjoyed since joining the EU, Ireland's national broadcaster RTE reported.

Meanwhile, a poll carried out for the Irish Farmers Association and The Farmers' Journal shows that over 69 per of farmers will vote "Yes" in next week's Lisbon referendum.  dpa