Bishop Richard Stika, who resigned from leading the Diocese of Knoxville, Tennessee, in 2023 after a Vatican investigation into alleged mismanagement, died on Feb. 17. He was 68 years old.
His death was announced via an obituary published online as well as by the Knoxville Diocese. The diocese urged the faithful to pray for the repose of his soul.
Born in St. Louis on July 4, 1957, he was ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of St. Louis on Dec. 14, 1985.
He served as chancellor there for 10 years, from 1994 to 2004, and helped coordinate Pope John Paul II’s visit to the city in 1999.
Pope Benedict XVI appointed him bishop of Knoxville in 2009, with Stika ordained and installed there on March 19 of that year.
As bishop, he oversaw the construction of the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The bishop’s tenure in Knoxville came to an abrupt end on June 27, 2023, when he resigned from his post at age 65, 10 years before the customary retirement age of bishops.
Pope Francis had reportedly decided to ask for Stika’s resignation after the results of a Vatican investigation.
The inquiry had looked into reports of diocesan mismanagement on Stika’s part, with multiple priests reportedly petitioning the Vatican to investigate his conduct as bishop.
The prelate was also the subject of a lawsuit alleging that he protected a seminarian accused of multiple counts of rape, including claims that Stika intimidated an alleged victim.
Acknowledging at the time of his retirement that “questions about [his] leadership have played out publicly in recent months,” Stika said: “I would be less than honest if I didn’t admit that some of this has weighed on me physically and emotionally.”
He cited numerous health issues as contributing to his retirement, though he offered a “genuine and heartfelt apology to anyone I have disappointed over the years.”
His obituary, meanwhile, said his “dedication to his faith and his service to the Catholic community remained central to his life” and that he “leaves behind a legacy of pastoral care and significant contributions to the dioceses he served.”