A letter written by a late Canadian bishop shows church officials in Canada knew of sexual abuse allegations involving a priest before his promotion to a top Vatican post and then discussed with Vatican officials how to keep the scandal from becoming public.

The four-page letter was written on 10 February 1993 by the late Bishop Joseph Windle of Pembroke, Ontario, and sent to the pope's envoy to Canada, Carlo Curis.

Its contents were released this weekend as an exhibit in a civil lawsuit.

The letter raised concerns about Monsignor Bernard Prince, a friend of the late Pope John Paul II.

Prince served as secretary-general of the Vatican's Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith, which works with missionary societies, from 1991 until he retired in 2004.

Windle advised the Vatican to avoid honouring or promoting Prince in any way because it might anger abuse victims and lead them to file criminal charges or civil lawsuits.

"The consequences of such an action would be disastrous, not only for the Canadian church but for the Holy See as well," the bishop wrote.

In a statement released yesterday, the Diocese of Pembroke said the recently released documents "demonstrate it has done its best to be proactive and responsible" in following Canadian church policies on handling allegations of sexual abuse by priests.

The current Pembroke Bishop Michael Mulhall expressed "sympathy and concern" for Prince's victims.