Bishop Richard Grecco says the church does not condone any violence or hatred. (CBC)The leader of the Catholic church on Prince Edward Island is denouncing an alleged hate crime that took place last month.

In October, a gay couple's home in Little Pond was burned down. The couple, who escaped uninjured, believe the fire was started because of their sexual orientation.

One of the men told a reporter that shortly after they moved into the community, they received a church card in their mailbox condemning gay sexuality as sinful.

Bishop Richard Grecco said the news is very upsetting.

"Hatred is a sin and any action that comes out of hatred is not only a sin, but in this case a crime and it must be denounced by all churches," he said.

"Anybody that claims to perpetrate these kinds of hate crimes in the name of religion — what they're doing is abusing and misusing religion and doing it harm."

The home of a gay couple in Little Pond in eastern P.E.I. was burned to the ground in what police are investigating as a possible arson. (CBC)Grecco said the church rejects violence and hatred.

He said church followers should love all people, even those who may live a lifestyle the church disagrees with.

Although Grecco has not formally asked his priests to talk about the issue on Sunday, he hopes they will.

The fire is the subject of a criminal investigation, but police say they don't have enough evidence to suggest it was motivated by homophobia.

RCMP have not identified any suspects.