It looks like Mark Foley's claim of molestation at the hands of Catholic priests might have some veracity. A guilt-ridden priest, Fr. Anthony Mercieca has come forward and confessed to "a series of encounters that he said Foley might perceive as sexually inappropriate" -- but this priest has not been named by Foley or his attorney as the guilty party. The news story suggests that the priest came forward voluntarily.
However, scanning the news story I noticed this:
According to the sources who did not want to be identified, Foley and his family have discussed Mercieca several times during the past three or four years, but his mother refused to believe that the priest was capable of abusing her son.
Foley's father, a stoic ex-Marine, refused to even acknowledge the conversation. (emphasis added)
So, perhaps Foley's father is the classic jarhead tough guy, the kind of man not exactly known for expending a great deal of love and affection on their families. If you can't find attention at home, you find it other places. This one sentence tells me more about Mark Foley than pretty much anything else I have read during the last three weeks.
UPDATE: Now Fr. Mercieca says that the Sarasota Herald Tribune "exaggerated" his remarks.
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