The Vatican is reportedly being urged to block the transfer of land at St Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin for the building of a new national maternity hospital over concerns that abortions would be carried out there.

The Irish Catholic Newspaper has reported that the Vatican is under pressure to block the plans.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Irish Catholic editor Michael Kelly said the Catholic Church will not stand over a situation where the Sisters of Charity, who own the St Vincent's site, are involved in a hospital where abortions are taking place.

He said: "That does not happen at any Catholic hospital in any part of the world and there is a vagueness around the structures that probably needs to be clarified."

He said the Vatican will not allow a situation where a Catholic institution, even if it is only in name, is involved in the provision of a termination of pregnancy.

Mr Kelly said the Vatican is under increased pressure to block the proposal, with lobbying coming from theologians and those who are involved in the "pro-life side of the debate" who have been writing to the Vatican ambassador, the Papal Nuncio in Ireland asking him to make representations in Rome.

In a statement today, the sisters of Charity said that in May 2017 the order confirmed it was "relinquishing all involvement and shareholding in St Vincent's Hospital Group and would be stepping down from the SVHG Board."

The statement continued: "Our two Sister Directors resigned from the Board with immediate effect. Since then, the RSC have no involvement with the hospital.

"The Religious Sisters of Charity have no part in the ownership or management of the new hospital, nor have shares in the new entity being established to run the two hospitals on the St Vincent's site."

Earlier this month, the former master of the National Maternity Hospital claimed the site for the new maternity hospital is still under religious control.

Dr Peter Boylan said the project should be paused until the Sisters of Charity produce "credible documentary evidence" that they have permission from the Vatican to relinquish ownership of the land.

He said if the site is not removed from the Catholic ownership the project is "dead in the water".

The NMH issued a statement saying its new hospital will have complete clinical independence and will provide all healthcare services available under Irish law.

Mr Kelly said the controversy is "not over by a long shot."

"Part of the confusion is that a lot of the discussion around this has been saying that Vatican permission is not necessary. The law is very clear on it. Canon law does require Vatican permission. This is Church owned property. This is not something that the sisters can grant to anyone without the approval of their superiors."