Louis Edward Gelineau

Louis Edward Gélineau (born May 3, 1928) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Providence from 1972 to 1997.

His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Louis Edward Gélineau
Bishop Emeritus of Providence
ChurchRoman Catholic Church
ArchdioceseHartford
DioceseProvidence
AppointedDecember 6, 1971
InstalledJanuary 26, 1972
Term endedJune 11, 1997
PredecessorRussell McVinney
SuccessorRobert Edward Mulvee
Orders
OrdinationJune 5, 1953
ConsecrationJanuary 26, 1972
by Robert Francis Joyce, Bernard Joseph Flanagan, and Edward Cornelius O'Leary
Personal details
Born (1928-05-03) May 3, 1928
Burlington, Vermont
MottoRejoice in hope
Styles of
Louis Edward Gélineau
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop

Biography

Louis Gelineau was born into a Franco-American family[1] in Burlington, Vermont, to Leonidas and Juliette (née Baribault) Gelineau; he has an older brother, Robert.[2][3] After attending St. Joseph's Elementary School and Cathedral High School in Burlington, he studied at St. Michael's College for two years before beginning his studies for the priesthood at St. Paul's University in Ottawa, Ontario, from where he later obtained a Licentiate of Sacred Theology and a Bachelor of Philosophy.[4] He was ordained a priest on June 5, 1954,[5] and then served as assistant pastor at All Saints Parish in Richford (1954–1956) and at St. Stephen Parish in Winooski (1956–1957).[2]

Gelineau was sent to further his studies at the Catholic University of America in 1957 and earned a Licentiate of Canon Law in 1959.[4] Returning to the Diocese of Burlington, he was named assistant chancellor of the Diocese and secretary and master of ceremonies to Bishop Robert Francis Joyce. He also served as director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith and assistant chaplain at De Goesbriand Memorial Hospital.[2] He became chancellor of the Diocese in 1961 and was raised to the rank of Papal Chamberlain by Pope John XXIII. In 1968 he became vicar general of the Burlington Diocese and a Prelate of His Holiness.[2]

On December 6, 1971, Gelineau was appointed the sixth Bishop of Providence, Rhode Island, by Pope Paul VI.[5] He received his episcopal consecration on January 26, 1972, from Bishop Joyce, with Bishops Bernard Joseph Flanagan and Edward Cornelius O'Leary serving as co-consecrators.[5]

In 1988, Gelineau declared that removing a feeding tube from 48-year-old Marcia Gray, a comatose Rhode Island woman, "does not contradict Catholic moral theology," but emphasized that he "in no way supports or condones the practice of euthanasia."[6] He also opposed a 1985 ordinance for the city of Providence to protect homosexuals from discrimination in employment, housing, credit and access to public accommodations. He said, "Homosexual acts are contrary to God's command and contrary to his purpose in creating sex. To give support to this proposed legislation may easily be interpreted as supporting the homosexual lifestyle."[7] Later, in 1995, when the Rhode Island Senate passed a gay rights bill, Gelineau stated, "If [proposed legislation] seeks to afford protection from unjust discrimination, which is not now afforded under our laws, then those laws should be changed."[8]

Gélineau has long been accused of various forms of sexual misconduct. According to a 1997 deposition by Robert Cadorette,[9] Gélineau, while assigned to a Vermont orphanage in the 1950s, molested Cadorette as a boy several times and attempted to drown him later. In a 1997 deposition, he denied any sexual misdeeds with an altar boy in 1994.[10]

Gelineau was also criticized for his management of sexual abuse allegations in the Providence Diocese.[11][12]

After a 25-year-long tenure, Gelineau resigned as Bishop on June 11, 1997.[5] He became chaplain at St. Antoine Residence in March 2004.[2]

See also

References
  1. Albert, Renaud S. (1979). A Franco-American Overview. National Assessment and Dissemination Center for Bilingual/Bicultural Education. p. 44.
  2. "The Most Reverend Louis E. Gelineau". Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence.
  3. "Descendants of Elie (Elie the Jew) Juiellineau". Family Tree Maker.
  4. "Depositions of Louis E. Gelineau, Bishop of Providence". Timothy J. Conlon, Esq. Archived from the original on 2014-07-18. Retrieved 2009-07-26.
  5. "Bishop Louis Edward Gelineau". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  6. Steinfels, Peter (1988-01-12). "Bishop Sees No Moral Issue If Feeding Ends in Coma Case". The New York Times.
  7. "Providence Bill To Aid Homosexuals In Doubt". The New York Times. 1985-09-01.
  8. Dunlap, David W. (1995-05-20). "Rhode Island's Senate Sends Gay-Rights Bill to Governor". The New York Times.
  9. "Deposition of Robert Cadorette" (PDF). bishop-accountability.org. 21 January 2013.
  10. "Bishop Louis Edward Gelineau". bishop-accountability.org. 21 January 2013.
  11. Carroll, Matt (2002-03-21). "Providence bishop ignored son's abuse report, mother says". The Boston Globe.
  12. Ericson, Jody (January 1997). "Bye-bye, Bishop". Providence Phoenix. Archived from the original on 2012-05-27.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
Russell McVinney		 Bishop of Providence
1972–1997		 Succeeded by
Robert Edward Mulvee
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