According to sources close to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops, Pope Francis decided last month to request Stika’s resignation, after reviewing the results of a Vatican-ordered investigation into the bishop’s management. Stika is accused of protecting Wojciech Sobczuk, a seminarian accused multiple times of sexual assault. Stika last year admitted to The Pillar that he … Read more
Bishop Richard Stika of Knoxville, Tennessee, green-lit tens of thousands of dollars in payment for the education and living expenses of a former seminarian accused of rape. After viewing a letter to St. Louis University in Missouri, Knox News reported that the bishop authorized his diocese to pay $48,258 for Wojciech Sobczuk’s 2021–2022 school year costs. “Bishop Richard … Read more
The bishops of Tennessee have signed a letter pushing for restrictions on the Second Amendment that is motivated politically rather than spiritually. Bps. Mark Spalding of Nashville, David Talley of Memphis and Richard Stika of Knoxville signed the letter. However, it was drafted by a nonpartisan statewide coalition, according to reports. The letter asks the legislators to “protect our kids and … Read more
A defamation lawsuit against a Tennessee bishop is growing in strength, with the bishop admitting that he accused an alleged rape victim of being the “predator.” John Doe filed an amended complaint on March 27 accusing Knoxville’s Bp. Richard Stika of, among other things, falsely telling priests that Doe was the perpetrator in a sexual … Read more
The Diocese of Knoxville asked a judge last week to shield documents from the public record, as the diocese fights back against a lawsuit which claims that Bishop Rick Stika covered up an allegation of sexual assault against a seminarian, while defaming the seminarian’s alleged victim. In a motion filed Jan. 31, the diocese asked … Read more
The contrasting recent handling by the Vatican of two bishops has highlighted concerns about discrepancies in the disciplining of bishops, with no explanation available why one of the two bishop was dismissed while the other has been allowed to remain in office. The two cases involve Bishop Daniel Fernández Torres of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, whom … Read more
Priests of the Knoxville diocese asked a papal representative last year for “merciful relief” from the leadership of Bishop Rick Stika. More than six months later, they have received no response to their request, and there has not been any conclusion to a Vatican investigation into Stika’s leadership. “Our experience of our appointed bishop varies … Read more
A priest at St. Mary’s Catholic Church was named in a lawsuit claiming that the priest sexually battered a parishioner in 2020 and Bishop Richard Stika allowed him to continue to work for the church after receiving the assault report from law enforcement, according to court documents obtained by WVLT News. In February of 2020, … Read more
A Feb. 22 lawsuit against the Diocese of Knoxville, Tennessee, and its bishop, alleges that a former parish organist was raped and sexually harassed by a diocesan employee and seminarian, and that a diocesan investigation into his allegation was impeded by the bishop. Bishop Rick Stika told The Pillar last year that he removed a … Read more
Bishop Richard Stika of Knoxville, Tennessee, sidelined an investigator appointed to scrutinize allegations of sexual assault and misconduct committed by a diocesan seminarian. The bishop told The Pillar he intervened because he did not believe the investigator appointed by a diocesan review board was competent for the task, and that he is convinced of the … Read more