The emeritus bishop of Knoxville (Tennessee, United States), Monsignor Richard F. Stika, passed away on February 17 at the age of 68, according to EWTN News. The prelate had submitted his resignation in June 2023, three years before the usual age for episcopal retirement, amid a Vatican investigation into his diocesan management.
Read also: The Pope removes Bishop Stika after being investigated for cover-up
Stika left the governance of the diocese following an apostolic visitation ordered from Rome by Pope Francis, after several priests and faithful reported concerns to the Vatican about his manner of governance.
At the time of his resignation, he acknowledged that the situation had affected him “physically and emotionally” and asked for a “genuine and sincere apology to all those whom I have disappointed.”
Investigation and Controversies
The bishop was also the subject of a civil lawsuit in which he was accused of protecting a seminarian charged with multiple counts of rape. The same complaint alleged that Stika had intimidated an alleged victim. These accusations were part of the context that led to the Vatican investigation prior to his resignation.
Although in 2023 he officially attributed his decision to health problems, his departure occurred in a climate of strong internal tension in the diocese.
No formal conclusions from the Vatican investigation were made public, and after the acceptance of his resignation, no final report or disciplinary sanction was disseminated.
Ecclesiastical Career
Born in St. Louis on July 4, 1957, Richard F. Stika was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of St. Louis on December 14, 1985. Between 1994 and 2004, he served as archdiocesan chancellor and participated in the organization of St. John Paul II’s visit to the city in 1999.
In 2009, he was appointed bishop of Knoxville by Benedict XVI. During his episcopate, he oversaw the construction of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, one of the main diocesan projects of that period.
His death marks the end of a stage characterized by a long pastoral trajectory and the final years of controversy that culminated in his early resignation.