Richard Stika
Kenrick-Glennon Seminary | |
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Motto | Iesu confido in te (Jesus, I trust in you) |
Styles of Richard Frank Stika | |
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Your Excellency | |
Religious style | Bishop |
Richard Frank Stika (born July 4, 1957) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the third bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville in Tennessee from 2009.
Stika resigned as bishop of Knoxville in 2023 at the request of Pope Francis. He had been accused of covering up the rape of a diocesan employee by a former seminarian, among other allegations of misconduct and mismanagement.[1][2]
Biography
Early life
Richard Stika was born on July 4, 1957, in
Stika attended St. Augustine Minor Seminary High School
Priesthood
Stika was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop
From 1994 to 2004, Stika served as
Named vicar for priests in 2002, Stika served as both pastor of Annunziata Parish in Ladue, Missouri, and episcopal vicar for Child and Youth Protection from 2004 to 2009.[4]
Bishop of Knoxville
On January 12, 2009, Stika was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville by Pope Benedict XVI.[7] He was ordained on March 19, 2009, by Rigali, with Archbishop Joseph Kurtz and Bishop Robert Shaheen serving as co-consecrators, at the Knoxville Convention Center in Knoxville.[8] Stika selected as his episcopal motto: Iesu Confido In Te ("Jesus, I Trust in You").[9]
Possessing bi-ritual faculties, Stika was able to celebrate the West Syriac Rite Holy Qurbono according to the recension of the Maronite Church, an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the pope. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Order of the Holy Sepulchre. He is a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team.[3] He is a close friend of Cardinal Rigali and considered the latter's protégé.[10][11]
Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart
In September 2014, Stika initiated fundraising to construct a new Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus in Knoxville,[12] He dedicated it on March 3, 2018.[13][12]
Questions concerning the funding of the cathedral arose in 2021. Some diocesan priests and employees alleged that Stika took funds from diocesan education and employee benefit funds, including loan money from the US Paycheck Protection Program, to pay the $36 million cost for the cathedral. One anonymous priest said "we are nearly bankrupt... there's just not going to be cash there."[14]
Criticisms of leadership as bishop
In April 2021, an official of the
In 2021, 11 diocesan priests, wrote to the
Our experience of our appointed bishop varies among us, but the undersigned do share a common awareness that the past twelve years of service under Bishop Stika have been, on the whole, detrimental to priestly fraternity and even to our personal well-being.
Resignation
On May 13, 2023, The Pillar reported that Vatican officials planned to request Stika's resignation as bishop of Knoxville. This followed an investigation of administrative mismanagement and cover-up of sexual misconduct allegations against a former seminarian.[17]
Handling of clerical sexual abuse
On April 16, 2010, Stika revoked the ministerial privileges of Reverend William Casey. He had been accused of rape and sexual abuse by a young altar boy. When confronted by Stika and other diocesan officials, Casey admitted his guilt.
In 2017 Stika planned to ordain as a priest a transitional deacon of another diocese who had been dismissed from formation because of sexual misconduct allegations. This was over the objections of Knoxville priests and psychological experts. The deacon's own bishop refused to excardinate, or transfer, him to the Diocese of Knoxville, and the seminarian was not ordained.[23]
Stika was accused of "bullying" a woman who reported possible grooming and sexual abuse by a priest of his diocese in 2017.[24]
Reverend Anthony D. Punnackal, a visiting priest from India, was accused in April 2022 of "one count of sexual battery and one count of sexual battery by an authority figure" during a grief counseling session. The diocese is alleged to have mishandled that claim as well.[25]
Wojciech Sobczuk
In 2018, Stika invited Wojciech Sobczuk, a Polish seminarian, to study in the diocese on the recommendation of Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz. In February 2019, an organist at Sacred Heart Cathedral complained to Stika that Sobczuk had raped and sexually harassed him. In response to these complaints, Stika allegedly accused the organist of raping Sobczuk.[2][26] Shortly after the alleged rape in Knoxville, Stika sent Sobczuk to study for the priesthood at St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana. Stika also recommended the two men keep in contact using Snapchat, a social media app in which messages disappear after being sent.[27]
While attending St. Meinrad, Sobczuk received special treatment from Stika and lived in the bishop's home when not at the seminary. In December 2019, Stika arranged for Sobczuk to miss more than a week of classes to accompany Stika on his
In February 2021, the organist sued the diocese.
In response to the rape allegation against Sobczuk, the diocesan review board appointed a retired law enforcement officer to conduct an investigation. Stika then dismissed the investigator for "asking all these questions".[30] Stika appointed a replacement investigator who only interviewed Sobczuk before closing his investigation.[31] The second investigator never interviewed any of the seminarians at St. Meinrad who had accused Sobczuk of harassment and assault.[citation needed]
After Sobczuk returned to Knoxville, Stika continued to classify him as a seminarian to protect his immigration status.[31] Sobczuk moved into the episcopal residence and in September 2021 accompanied Stika on a 10-day vacation in the United States.[32]
See also
- Catholic Church hierarchy
- Catholic Church in the United States
- Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
- List of Catholic bishops of the United States
- Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops
Notes
References
- ^ "Vatican to ask Stika for resignation". The Pillar. May 13, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ^ a b "Legal Complaint: John Doe vs Richard F. Stika" (PDF). Retrieved February 3, 2023.
- ^ a b "Most Reverend Richard F. Stika, D.D." Roman Catholic Diocese of Knoxville. Archived from the original on May 6, 2015. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f "Bishop Stika's Curriculum Vitae". Diocese of Knoxville. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
- ^ Hayden, Jim (August 13, 2012). "St. Augustine Seminary graduates bring spirit of history to reunion". Holland Sentinel. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- ^ "Stika after resignation: 'I myself was a victim of abuse'". The Pillar. June 27, 2023. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ^ "Rinunce e Nomine, 12.01.2008" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- ^ Williams, Rebecca D. (March 19, 2009). "New Knoxville bishop: 'I pledge to be a good shepherd'". Knox News. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
- ^ "Coat of Arms". Roman Catholic Diocese of Knoxville. Archived from the original on October 14, 2006. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
- ^ Palmo, Rocco (October 22, 2005). "Isn't it Rich?". Whispers in the Loggia.
- ^ Palmo, Rocco (January 12, 2009). "Rich It Is -- Western "Rome" Meets East Tennessee". Whispers in the Loggia.
- ^ a b McWilliams, Dan (March 5, 2018). "Catholics celebrate nation's newest cathedral, growth of church in South". The Boston Pilot. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
- ^ McRary, Amy (May 3, 2018). "Reverence, awe — and humor — open East Tennessee Catholics' $30.8 million cathedral". Knox News. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
- ^ Flynn, J. D. (May 22, 2021). "Bishop Stika wants 'the whole story' ahead of Vatican investigation". www.pillarcatholic.com. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ "Stika facing likely 'Vos estis' Vatican investigation". www.pillarcatholic.com. April 23, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
- ^ "Knoxville priests asked nuncio for 'merciful relief'". Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. May 3, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ "Vatican to ask Stika for resignation". May 13, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
- ^ "Resignations and Appointments, 27.06.2023" (Press release). Holy See Press Office. June 27, 2023. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ a b Graham, Ruth (June 27, 2023). "Knoxville Bishop Resigns Amid Turmoil". New York Times. Retrieved June 28, 2023.[dead link]
- ^ "Diocese of Knoxville bars priest accused of abuse". www.knoxnews.com. Retrieved January 10, 2022.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Breeding, Kacie (July 13, 2011). "Former Kingsport priest Casey found guilty of aggravated rape, sexual misconduct". timesnews.net. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
- ^ "Former priest William Casey laicized". East Tennessee Catholic. January 28, 2013. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
- ^ "Stika accepted deacon accused of misconduct; Knoxville priests criticize 'pattern' of leadership". www.pillarcatholic.com. April 29, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ "Stika 'bullied' Catholic over mishandled allegations, woman claims". www.pillarcatholic.com. March 12, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ "Gatlinburg priest, diocese sued after alleged sex assault during grief counseling session". WTVC. April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
- ^ a b Flynn, J. D. (February 23, 2022). "Stika lawsuit: What's next for the Knoxville diocese?". www.pillarcatholic.com. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ "Ex-church worker in Tennessee claims in lawsuit he was raped by seminarian". NBC News. February 23, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ a b "Stika said assault claim was 'boundary issue' for seminarian to whom he gave thousands". www.pillarcatholic.com. April 27, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
- ^ "Stika, Knoxville diocese, sued for alleged rape cover-up". www.pillarcatholic.com. February 23, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ "Knoxville bishop replaced investigator in seminarian probe". www.pillarcatholic.com. May 17, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ a b Flynn, J. D. (February 23, 2022). "Stika lawsuit: What's next for the Knoxville diocese?". www.pillarcatholic.com. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
- ^ "Vatican verdict looms for Knoxville bishop". www.pillarcatholic.com. September 22, 2021. Retrieved August 2, 2022.