Settlement in abuse case of Foley priest

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 by former Congressman Mark Foley.

The lawsuit was not connected to Foley, who resigned in scandal last year.

The unnamed plaintiff claims the Rev. 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.