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The archdiocese of Miami on Friday barred Rev. Anthony Mercieca from functioning as a priest anywhere after confirming that he was the clergyman Mark Foley said molested him in the 1960s.
Mercieca, who lives in Malta, cannot publicly celebrate mass, administer sacraments or wear priestly clothes, said Mary Ross Agosta, a spokeswoman for the Roman Catholic archdiocese.
Agosta apologized to Foley in a statement and described as repugnant Mercieca’s intimate contact with him, which the priest disclosed to a Florida newspaper this week. Mercieca, 69, worked in South Florida for almost 40 years and remains under the auspices of the archdiocese. “Such behavior is morally reprehensible, canonically criminal and inexcusable,” Agosta said.
