Protestors outside the Dáil are demanding the National Maternity Hospital is secular and its lands publicly owned.
The 'OurMaternityHospital' Campaign organised the demonstration - they say the Government leasing the land from St Vincents Hospital Group is a 'betrayal'.
The Minister for Higher Education Simon Harris has dismissed their views as misguided and unfounded.
He says claims that the church will have any influence over the hospital are wrong:
"It's just factually incorrect. It's just factually incorrect. I mean, let's just take Holles Street today. So the National Maternity Hospital today - the titular head of that hospital is the Archbishop of Dublin. Now in fairness to him, he doesn't attend but he's every right to attend and join the board. I think the parish priests of Westland Row is on the board. I'm open to correction on that".
