Priest Named by Foley
Is Barred
From All Religious
Duties
By ABBY GOODNOUGH,
NYTimes on the Web, October 21, 2006
MIAMI, Oct. 20 — The
Archdiocese of Miami on Friday barred the Rev. Anthony Mercieca from functioning
as a priest anywhere in the world after confirming that he was the clergyman who
Mark Foley said molested him in the 1960’s.
Father Mercieca, who now lives in Malta, can no longer publicly celebrate Mass,
administer the sacraments or wear priestly clothes, said Mary Ross Agosta, a
diocesan spokeswoman.
Ms. Agosta apologized to Mr. Foley in a statement and described as repugnant
Father Mercieca’s intimate contact with him, which the priest disclosed to a
Florida newspaper this week. Father Mercieca, 69, worked in South Florida
for almost 40 years and remains under the auspices of the archdiocese.
“Such behavior is morally reprehensible, canonically criminal and inexcusable,”
Ms. Agosta said.
Mr. Foley, 52, resigned from the House of Representatives last month after the
release of sexually explicit messages he had sent to teenage Congressional
pages. Soon after, his lawyer announced that Mr. Foley is gay, had gone
into treatment for alcoholism and had been molested by a clergyman when he was
13 to 15.
“An apology is due to Mr. Foley for the hurt he has experienced,” Ms. Agosta
said.
So far, she said, no one else had reported sexual misconduct by Father Mercieca.
He worked in at least eight parishes in South Florida since 1966, most recently
at Blessed Trinity Catholic Church in Miami Springs from 1993 to 2003. Ms.
Agosta said he left Florida to retire.
“There were absolutely no other problems,” she said in an interview.
Ms. Agosta said the Archdiocese of Miami had begun an internal investigation
that could result in further sanctions against Father Mercieca. A
spokesman for the archbishop of Malta said an investigation was under way there,
too.
Though retired, Father Mercieca was still saying Mass every morning at a
cathedral on Gozo, the Maltese island where he was raised and now lives with his
brother, also a priest.
The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, an advocacy group, said that
both diocesan actions were insufficient and that Father Mercieca should be put
in a secure treatment facility while the police investigated.
The Herald-Tribune of Sarasota, Fla., reported Thursday that Father Mercieca
said he had skinny-dipped and lounged naked in saunas with the young Mr. Foley,
massaged him and roomed with him naked on overnight trips. He said that
once, on tranquilizers, he might have gone further with Mr. Foley but could not
recall details.
Father Mercieca repeated the claims in interviews with other news outlets, but
also said his relationship with Mr. Foley was not sexual.
The survivors group has urged Mr. Foley to press charges, but the statute of
limitations has probably expired. His civil lawyer, Gerald Richman, said
Friday that he had no idea whether Mr. Foley would pursue the matter.
Mr. Richman identified Father Mercieca to Palm Beach County prosecutors this
week as Mr. Foley’s molester. Prosecutors shared the information with the
archdiocese, but said they would do nothing more unless other victims emerged.
Ms. Agosta said the archdiocese, which includes Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe
Counties, would encourage any other victims to come forward by asking every
parish to make an announcement about Father Mercieca.
Terry Aguayo contributed reporting.
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