Foley Priest Probe, by Niles Lathem, New York Post [United States], October 21, 2006

Foley Priest Probe

By Niles Lathem
New York Post [United States]
October 21, 2006

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10212006/news/nationalnews/foley_priest_probe_nationalnews_niles_lathem.htm

Washington - The Catholic Church began an investigation of the creepy priest who admitted fondling Mark Foley when the disgraced former congressman was a kid.

As the already lurid Foley sex scandal continued to grow more weird, the Roman Catholic Church of Malta said it would probe the past relationship between the teenage Foley and Rev. Anthony Mercieca, 69, who worked at Florida church that Foley attended when he was 13.

The Archdiocese of Miami issued an apology yesterday to Foley, stating it's "distressed by the revelations disclosed by Father Mercieca regarding former Representative Mark Foley. Such behavior is morally reprehensible, canonically criminal and inexcusable."

ANTHONY MERCIECA
Admits fondling Foley.

Mercieca, who now lives on the Maltese island of Gozo, admitted in a series of interviews this week to massaging the teenage Foley as well as taking nude saunas and going skinny dipping with him.

Yesterday, Mercieca tried to excuse his behavior , telling TV station WPTV of West Palm Beach, "It's not something you call, I mean, rape or penetration or anything like that, you know . . . It was just fondling." He added, "He seemed to like it, you know?"