The bishop of Knoxville, Tennessee, has resigned under pressure
FILE - Bishop Richard Stika speaks during a service on Saturday, July 31, 2021, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Stika, bishop of Knoxville, Tennessee, resigned under pressure Tuesday, June 27, 2023, following allegations he mishandled sex abuse allegations and several of his priests complained about his leadership and behavior, sparking a Vatican investigation.
Stika's departure, after 14 years as bishop of Knoxville, closes a turbulent chapter for the southern U.S. diocese that was marked by a remarkable revolt by some of its priests, who accused Stika of abusing his authority and protecting a seminarian accused of sexual misconduct. They appealed to the Vatican for “merciful relief” in 2021, citing their own mental health, sparking a Vatican investigation that led to Stika’s resignation.
The suit filed in Chancery Court in Knox County says Stika should have known the seminarian was dangerous because he had been accused of sexual misconduct previously. Instead, Stika encouraged the accuser's friendship with the man, and the accuser felt pressure to comply for fear of losing his job, it says.
The suit accuses the diocese of spreading rumors about the woman that led to her being shunned and harassed in the community. Around the same time, a group of priests from the Diocese of Knoxville sent a letter to Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio who serves as a representative for Pope Francis in the United States.
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