The Roman
Catholic archdiocese of Miami has settled a lawsuit in which
a former altar boy claimed he was sexually abused by
the same priest accused of molestation by former
congressman Mark Foley.
The lawsuit was
not connected to Foley, who resigned in scandal last
year.
The unnamed
plaintiff claims the Reverend Anthony Mercieca sexually
abused him in the 1970s when he was an altar boy at St.
James Church in North Miami. The accuser, then about
13 years old, said Mercieca molested him in the
church's bell tower after a bicycle ride together.
The lawsuit had
sought more than $10 million in damages. Terms of the
settlement were confidential, said the man's attorney,
Jeffrey Herman.
Mercieca retired
to the European island of Malta. His attorney there,
Alfred Grech, declined to comment because he was not aware
of the settlement or lawsuit.
A phone message
and e-mails to archdiocese spokeswomen were not
immediately returned.
Foley, a
Republican who represented the West Palm Beach area,
resigned in September after his sexually explicit
computer messages to young male pages surfaced. His
lawyer later said Foley was alcoholic, gay, and had
been molested as a boy by a clergyman.
Mercieca later
said he massaged Foley in the nude and they swam naked
together, but he denied having sex with Foley.
The FBI and state
authorities have been investigating whether Foley
violated any laws by sending the messages, but he has not
been charged. His attorney has said Foley never had
any inappropriate contact with underage boys. (AP)
