It’s interesting to read the response to former congressman Mark Foley’s accusations against Fr. Anthony Mercieca in his native Maltese media, including quotes from the priest’s lawyer. Considering what Mercieca has already admitted to, the protestations of complete innocence ring hollow.
“In the wake of the onslaught of accusations levelled against him, Fr Anthony Mercieca believes that nothing that had happened between him and Mark Foley, some 40 years ago, could provide solid grounds for legal action against him. He therefore considers the aggressive and unfavourable exposure as being unfair and unjustified.”
Remember that Mercieca admitted to going into the sauna naked with a 13-year-old boy and giving him massages, again naked. Yeah, very unfair and unjustified. Whether it’s legally actionable it’s certainly completely inappropriate and probably sinful. Of course, Mercieca’s lawyer goes on to portray his client as, yes, a victim. He must have picked that tactic up from Foley’s lawyer.
“This is a mud-slinging exercise and I fear that there is an attempt to find a scapegoat to hide a murkier side of things back there. But the true mark of a Christian is also to live through persecution and misunderstanding, never expecting to be justified or rewarded in this world. Fr Mercieca will come out of this as a true Christian,” he said.
Do true Christians sauna naked with young boys, give them naked massages, and aver that they have no recollection of possibly doing more in the midst of a “nervous breakdown” and then try to justify it as nothing out of the ordinary?
Maltese come to Mercieca’s defense
