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	Bishop Launches Investigation of Priest in Foley Case By Michelle Sheldone TCPalm [Florida] October 22, 2006 http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/local_news/article/0,,TCP_16736_5082494,00.html Miami Archbishop John C. Favalora has launched an internal investigation into allegations that a former priest at Sacred Heart Catholic Church and School in Lake Worth molested the young Mark Foley. The Archdiocese of Miami confirmed Friday morning that Anthony Mercieca was the man the disgraced former congressman claims molested him between the ages of 13 and 15. Mercieca, 69, who now lives in retirement on the Maltese island of Gozo, "cannot wear his clerical garb or present himself as a priest in any way shape or form" until after the investigation concludes and possibly never again, archdiocese spokesman Mary Ross Agosta said Friday. The archdiocese has sent notices to every parish where Mercieca served, asking them to advise parishioners this weekend of the allegations against him and ask that any additional allegations be reported to the archdiocese's Victims Assistance Coordinator at (866) 802-2873 or their local police department. On Thursday, Mercieca told WPTV NewsChannel 5 that he'd fondled Foley but did not rape him. "See, 'abuse' is a bad word, you know?" Mercieca said. "Because you abuse someone against his will, but it was just spontaneous, you know? For some people it's molestation. Maybe for other kids it's fun, you know? At the time you see it in this sense, you know?" His statements were "disheartening and shocking, I have to tell you," Agosta said, sounding tearful over the telephone. "And sad. Very sad. The sadness is for not only his interpretation but for certainly Mr. Foley and any other victims that might have been approached by father." "We apologize to Mr. Foley for having been put in this situation," Agosta said. "Our role is to provide the pastoral direction, the pastoral counseling and guidance ... for anybody that has been a victim ... and even for the pastor." Mercierca is retired, but retired priests are able to perform sacraments such as baptism and marriage and visiting the sick, Agosta said. Mike Edmondson, a spokesman for the State Attorney's Office in West Palm Beach, said there will be no law enforcement action unless other victims come forward, because Foley's attorneys have said he doesn't want to prosecute. Chris Storch, 51, a former classmate of Foley's, said she didn't notice anything unusual about Mercieca or his behavior with boys. "A fourth-grader doesn't know any better," Storch said. "He was a priest, you know? To me he was ... someone I looked up to." A statement from the Diocese of Gozo said its bishop, Mario Grech, contacted the Archdiocese of Miami to seek more information about the case. "In the light of all this ... Bishop Grech will instruct the response team to investigate these allegations according to the policies established by the Maltese Ecclesiastical Province with regards to cases of sexual abuse in pastoral activity," the statement said. "Grech will pass all information he receives pertaining to this case to the response team as he has done in similar cases." Charles Buttigieg, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Malta, the main island of the archipelago south of Sicily, said Friday he was not aware of any other complaints against Mercieca. Buttigieg said Thursday the archdiocese's response team had yet to meet on the matter, as Mercieca's case was just referred to it. Mercieca, a Maltese citizen, is retired and does not serve in any parish on the island, said the Rev. Anthony Refalo, spokesman for the Gozo diocese. However, Mercieca regularly celebrates Mass and hears confessions in the cathedral, one of two main churches on the island. E-mail: michelle.sheldone@scripps.com
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