P.E.I. bishop's brother abused Ont. children

While P.E.I. Bishop Richard Grecco deals with fallout from sex-abuse allegations against a priest in Kinkora, P.E.I., he's also bracing for the sentencing in Ontario of his older brother, a former priest, for sex offences.

Donald Grecco, 70, pleaded guilty to gross indecency in April. He will be sentenced next week in Hamilton.

The charges date back about 30 years when Donald Grecco was a Roman Catholic priest in several parishes in southern Ontario. All the victims were teenage altar boys when Grecco molested them in the late 1970s.

Richard Grecco is on an annual retreat in North Rustico this week, along with most priests on P.E.I.

Emotional time

The bishop declined to be interviewed Wednesday. He said he didn't want to appear to be trying to influence the judge's decision on his brother's sentence.

He also said he didn't want to say anything that might offend the victims.

Richard Grecco did say it is a very emotional and difficult time for him and he would comment after his brother is sentenced on June 3.

The bishop said his brother's situation had no bearing on how he handled the allegation against Rev. George Smith in Kinkora.

The Roman Catholic priest has been removed from his duties over an allegation of abuse stemming from his time serving in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Smith was working at St. Malachy's Church in Kinkora.

Richard Grecco said he followed protocol by removing the priest from church duties as soon as the allegation was made and notifying all the other priests on P.E.I.