That lawsuit relies heavily on revelations unearthed by The Pillar, which first reported on Stika's removal of investigator George Prosser in May 2021. The publication also has reported complaints about Stika were previously made to the Vatican.Įarlier this week, Knox News reported Stika personally interfered with a diocesan investigation into whether a seminarian raped a diocesan employee in 2019, independently confirming allegations that are detailed in a sexual abuse lawsuit by the man who says he was sexually assaulted. The Pillar reported the visitation likely was scheduled after a September meeting between priests and Louisville Archbishop Fabre that did not include Stika. "If the body of Christ is suffering, this is a way of addressing the suffering." “This is something that’s gotten the attention of the top bishops and not something Stika would’ve wanted," McGlone said. Visitations require approval by the Vatican in Rome or, at the very least, by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nunciature who serves as an ambassador from the Vatican. The purpose, he said, is to address questions and concerns parishioners and others have raised about the governance of a church or diocese. McGlone, a Jesuit priest and senior research fellow at Georgetown University. Conference of Catholic Bishops.Īpostolic visitations are rare and indicate trouble for the diocese, said Gerard J. The Apostolic Nunciature, which would likely have authorized such a visit, did not respond to emailed questions from Knox News. The visitation was first reported by The Pillar, a publication that covers the Catholic Church, and attributed to unnamed sources.Ī spokesperson for the diocese declined to confirm the visit, saying confirmation would have to come from the Vatican in Rome.Ī spokesperson for the Archdiocese in Louisville, which oversees the Knoxville diocese, referred questions to the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See in Washington, D.C. The two priests told Knox News they spoke to church officials as part of the apostolic visitation, though both declined to say what was discussed or the purpose of the meetings. Another letter, from Susan Vance of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, was sent in October to Archbishop Shelton Fabre of Louisville, who oversees the Knoxville diocese, saying that the diocese is silencing victims of clergy sexual abuse. Apostolic visitations often are a signal that church leaders are concerned about a matter and gives them a chance to speak directly with people involved.Īdditionally, a letter from parishioners in Chattanooga was sent in October to high-ranking church officials detailing concerns about Bishop Richard Stika, who leads the 70,000-member diocese located in East Tennessee. To protect them from retaliation, Knox News is not identifying the two priests and a third person who has firsthand knowledge of the visitation.Īpostolic visitations are ordered by church authorities to dig into the spiritual well-being of a diocese. The visit - known as an apostolic visitation - was headed by Bishops Barry Knestout of Richmond and Michael Burbidge of Arlington, according to one of two priests with direct knowledge of the trip who spoke to Knox News. High-ranking Catholic clergy conducted a fact-finding visit to the Diocese of Knoxville late last year, three sources confirmed to Knox News, as two lawsuits targeting the local church over its handling of sex abuse allegations are ongoing.
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