Foley Offers Abuser Name The Disgraced Ex-Congressman's Lawyer Says the Man Foley Accuses Is Still a Priest, but Sources Say He Is Retired, by Matthew Doig and Maurice Tamman, Herald-Tribune [Florida], October 18. 2006

Foley Offers Abuser Name
The Disgraced Ex-Congressman's Lawyer Says the Man Foley Accuses Is Still a Priest, but Sources Say He Is Retired

By Matthew Doig and Maurice Tamman
Herald-Tribune [Florida]
October 18, 2006

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061018/NEWS/610180304/1006/SPORTS

An attorney for former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley announced Tuesday that the man he claims abused him as a teenager is a Catholic priest and he plans to reveal the name to the church.

At a press conference, attorney Gerald Richman said Foley intends to work with the Archdiocese of Miami "for the purpose of revealing the name of the particular priest who was involved so that the archdiocese can then deal appropriately with the issue."

Diocese officials said Tuesday night they had not talked to Foley and had not yet received a name. Until they do, they have no plans to investigate the accusations, said spokeswoman Mary Ross Agosta.

Mark Foley plans to work with diocese to reveal priest's name. BELOW: Lawyer Gerald Richman said naming his abuser is "part of the healing process" for Mark Foley.
Photo by Archive Photos

"That would be impossible to do," Agosta said. "We hit a wall if we don't have a name."

Richman said Foley has not told him the name of the clergyman but has told another attorney. He said the clergyman is still alive.

The priest is alive but retired, according to information provided to the Herald-Tribune by sources close to the situation.

The sources spoke on condition of anonymity.

Foley, whose former congressional district includes Charlotte County, resigned last month after his sexually-suggestive e-mails to teen pages became public.

After he resigned, Foley announced through his attorney that he was an alcoholic and that he had been abused as a boy by an unnamed "clergyman."

Although Foley did not say his abuser was a priest, questions focused on the Catholic Church because Foley grew up attending Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Lake Worth.

Foley also spent one year at Cardinal Newman, a Catholic high school in West Palm Beach.

Through his criminal defense lawyer, David Roth, Foley has said he is gay but denied any sexual contact with minors. He has not been charged with a crime.

Richman said there would be no basis for criminal charges against the priest Foley says abused him because the statute of limitations had passed.

"We're talking about issues that happened 36 to 38 years ago," Richman said.

"This is all part of the healing process for Mark Foley. He thinks it's important to go ahead and bring this information out and hope and encourage other people who have been similarly abused to go ahead and come forward."

Richman said when details are released they will deflate critics who have accused Foley of fabricating the abuse allegation as an excuse.

"It's going to be very clear in the coming days that it is a fact as opposed to any possible allegations that it was a fantasy or something made up for political purposes," Richman said.

"The archdiocese is the one that specifically requested this information ... They want this to come out, and we are going to cooperate with them."

After Roth announced his client had been molested, the Archdiocese of Miami sent Roth a letter urging him to name the perpetrator, Agosta said. The letter also included an offer to pay for Foley's counseling, Agosta said.

As of Tuesday, Agosta said Roth had not responded to the letter.

Abuse victims advocates and the church have pushed Foley to name his abuser.

"There are hundreds and hundreds of clergymen in the diocese," Agosta said. "Do they all have to be under a shadow of suspicion? When we have antics like this, it doesn't help other victims of abuse."