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	Maltese Stand by Priest Accused of Fondling Foley By Maria Sanminiatelli Associated Press, carried in Cleveland Plain Dealer October 22, 2006 http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1161514517285400.xml&coll=2 Victoria, Malta -- People on the Maltese island of Gozo defended a native priest accused of molesting a former U.S. congressman as a boy, saying Saturday that he was a well-liked, private man with a quiet demeanor. The Rev. Anthony Mercieca, who is retired and lives on Gozo, was quoted by media in Florida last week as saying that he fondled former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley and was nude with him on several occasions while serving in a parish in the state in the 1960s. The Archdiocese of Miami has barred the priest from all church work as it investigates the abuse claims. The Maltese Church has also opened an investigation into the case. Foley, 52, a Florida Republican, resigned from Congress last month after the release of his sexually explicit computer messages to young male pages. His lawyer later said Foley was an alcoholic and gay and had been molested as a boy by a "clergyman." On the island of Gozo, many residents refused to speak about the case, and those who did had only kind words for Mercieca, who they said grew up in a respected and pious family. Mercieca's brother, who is also a priest, told reporters outside the home they share that the allegations were a "political invention." Asked why he thought so, the Rev. George Mercieca said "because he is one of [President] Bush's men." He apparently was referring to Foley being a Republican. The housekeeper in the brothers' home told reporters that he had celebrated Mass with his family earlier in the day. She declined to give her name. Anthony Mercieca, 69, does not serve in any parish on the island, a part of the conservative, predominantly Catholic nation of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea. However, he regularly celebrates Mass and hears confession in the cathedral, one of two main churches on the island. The Rev. Edward Zammit, assistant to Gozo Bishop Mario Grech, said he knew of no complaints of a sexual nature against Mercieca on the island. Mercieca's lawyer did not answer his phone. A woman who was born in the house next to the Merciecas' home and still lives there also defended the priest. "We never expected to hear this thing. They never gave us any trouble, or to anybody else," said Maria Pace, 46. "This came completely out of the blue." Pace's mother, Antonia, 87, described the priest as a shy, respectful man who hesitates to approach people. "He never speaks to you. If you want, you talk to him first." She said Mercieca had been raised in a deeply religious household, where three of four brothers grew up to become priests.
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