Rhode Island Church Documents Shed Light on Church's Actions
Now that the Diocese of Providence has been forced to turn over church documents about abusive priests. In one instance in 1979 concerning Rev. Ronald Lepire, thenAuxiliary Bishop Kenneth Angell suggested transferring Lepire after police began investigating an allegation about Lepire putting his hands down a boy's pants. Angell wrote on diocesan stationery, " "For confidential reasons, Fr. Roland M. Lepire now at St. Aloysius, Woon must be transferred at once," "He should not be reassigned in the Woonsocket area." In another church document, the church lawyer advised a priest to tell then-Bishop Gelineau about the incident. In the conversation, the priest was advised not to mention the word misconduct. The lawyer advised him to talk to the Bishop since "that would provide some significant measure of protection."