The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland released a statement this week saying that cars in Catholic church parking lots throughout the state were improperly leafleted with “Vote Yes on referendum Question 1” material last weekend.

The leaflets, the statement said, do not reflect the official position of the Portland diocese, which had remained neutral on the issue.

“The diocesan position remains unchanged: Catholics are urged to become familiar with the issue, read Bishop Malone’s statement, and vote with an educated conscience,” the statement read.

A spokesman for the Christian Civic League of Maine, a group leading the repeal effort, could not be reached Tuesday.

Question 1 on the Nov. 8 ballot will read: “Do you want to reject the new law that would protect people from discrimination in employment, housing, education, public accommodations and credit based on their sexual orientation?”

Bishop Malone’s statement can be viewed at: www.portlanddiocese.net/files/BishopDiscriminationSexualOrientation.pdf