Following lawsuits, investigations Knoxville diocese makes substantial changes to sex abuse policy
After the dust settled, former Bishop Richard Stika ended up having a lasting impact on the Diocese of Knoxville.
Perhaps not the type he would have envisioned. The multiple crises and lawsuits that built up under his leadership spurred the diocese to update its sexual misconduct policy.
In February, Louisville Archbishop Shelton Fabre, who served as the interim leader in Knoxville, approved the updates. They include new language and policies, including rules that church leaders can't interfere with sex abuse investigations and the accused can't retaliate against the accuser.
An internal diocesan review board started working on the changes in January 2023. Stika resigned in June.
Diocesan spokesperson Jim Wogan declined to say why each change was made or whether Stika's time with the diocese influenced them.
"The diocese views this as a positive step by removing any questions about the board’s authority and ability to act independently," Wogan wrote in an email to Knox News.
The changes are a sign the diocese is actively working to put behind itself some of the issues that festered under Stika's leadership. The most public change came May 7 when the diocese announced the Rev. Mark Beckman of Nashville as bishop-elect. His episcopal ordination is scheduled for July 26.
Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of bishopaccountability.org, an online public library of information about the Roman Catholic clergy abuse crisis, said much of the new language comes from the pope's key accountability law, Vos Estis Lux Mundi, published in 2019. The Knoxville diocese's policies under Stika should have conformed to the pope's mandate.
"These (changes) are not something to praise, really," she said. "It’s quite minimal, but Stika’s policy was conveniently omitting some of this stuff.”
Here is a summary of some of the changes, though there are many smaller ones. You can read the entire policy here.
1. No interfering in investigations
If it wasn't clear before, it is now: No one should ever interfere in a church sex abuse investigation. The instruction appears three times in the new document in contrast to the previous version that never explicitly prohibited it. In fact, the word “interfere” doesn’t appear in the previous policy at all.
What is the new language?
“The provided-for investigation by the Diocese in situations which might ultimately involve criminal prosecution shall be conducted in cooperation with the civil authorities, so as to not interfere with any investigation/prosecution.”
“The response team's investigation in situations which might ultimately involve a criminal prosecution should be conducted in cooperation with the civil authorities so as to not interfere with any investigation/prosecution.”
“If the matter is under investigation by the civil authorities which might ultimately involve criminal prosecution, the Review Board will cooperate with the civil authorities so as to not interfere in their investigation/prosecution.”
Why does it matter?
A yearslong civil lawsuit against the diocese claims a former diocesan seminarian raped a church employee in 2019. In January 2023, Knox News independently confirmed Bishop Stika interfered in the diocese’s investigation by firing the investigator. The man who replaced the investigator reportedly interviewed only the former employee and not the alleged victim.
Granted, the new policy directs church leaders to cooperate with civil authorities while the investigation into the seminarian was handled by the church.
2. Retaliation is not an option
The accused is now directed not to retaliate against the accuser or the reporter. There is no such language in the 2022 version.
What is the new language?
“The accused Church Personnel, including but not limited to clergy or religious, is to be counseled to not confront or challenge the accuser, nor arrange for any confrontation or challenge in any way by another person, nor is he to retaliate against his accuser or the reporter in any way.”
Why does it matter?
While not directly accused himself, Stika retaliated against the alleged victim of the 2019 rape, smearing his name to clergy.
An April 2023 court filing shows Stika admitted he told a room full of priests the alleged victim, who claimed he was raped by a seminarian, was actually the predator, not the other way around. He also admitted to telling a separate group of priests that the man groomed the seminarian for sexual abuse.
Of all the changes, this new provision is the most significant, Doyle said. It speaks to a baseline understanding and implementation of the pope's policies related to sex abuse.
3. Investigator no longer gets first contact
The previous policy included language that said the assistance coordinator or the initial investigator would arrange to meet with the alleged victim as soon as possible. The new policy removes the investigator from that initial meeting.
What is the new language?
“When sexual exploitation is alleged, the Victim Assistance Coordinator must immediately arrange to meet with the alleged victim to offer assurance of the concern of the Diocese and its commitment to hear and respond in an appropriate way to the accusations, to explain the process following the initial contact and to gather information.”
Why does it matter?
Alleged victims will now talk with a professional specifically qualified to handle abuse allegations instead of an investigator. Since December 2022, the diocese has contracted these services outside of the church with the McNabb Center.
Church watchers: Real change is up to diocese
Susan Vance, the leader of Tennessee’s chapter of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests and a member of the Knoxville diocese member, said the church must live by the rules it has set.
“The many updates and changes appear to show that the Catholic Diocese of Knoxville is forced to admit past policy failures,” she said in an email to Knox News.
“These rules are worthless though unless church members see them followed consistently and with openness and transparency. The bishop and diocesan leadership have failed miserably to do this in the past. I personally don't see signs that this will change.”
Andrew Fels is an attorney with the nonprofit Al Otro Lado. He represented a Honduran woman who alleged Gatlinburg priest Rev. Antony Devassey Punnackal sexually abused her during a counseling session in 2020. Punnackal was acquitted of criminal charges in November and he and the diocese settled out of court in the federal civil trial May 3. Knox News recently reported he will be leaving the country.
Fels said he would like to see the diocese simply follow the policies already on the books.
“I salute the Archbishop's reform attempts. However, policies require enforcement, and I have yet to see appropriate enforcement efforts under either policy,” he said in an email to Knox News. “Both promise some form of pastoral outreach to the victim. Pages 11-12; 10-11. However, no one from the Diocese has ever reached out to my client or her family, with the exception of a private investigator who tried to squeeze evidence from her sister.
“I genuinely wish the new bishop the best but, absent actual changes in behavior, my chief concern remains the well-being of the Diocese of Knoxville's parishioners,” he continued. “As for my client, she will continue waiting for the Diocese response team. They know how to reach her.”
Tyler Whetstone is an investigative reporter focused on accountability journalism. Connect with Tyler by emailing him at tyler.whetstone@knoxnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tyler_whetstone.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville diocese makes substantial changes to sexual misconduct policy
