KNOXVILLE (TN)
Knoxville News Sentinel [Knoxville TN]
January 20, 2023
By Tyler Whetstone
In the last year, the Catholic Diocese of Knoxville has been hit with two lawsuits alleging improper investigations into sexual assault complaints. These lawsuits cracked open the inner workings of the diocese.
In the course of reporting on the lawsuits, Knox News has published a number of articles detailing different aspects of how the diocese has, and has not, held itself accountable.
Here is a look at the findings of Knox News’ investigation.
Original John Doe lawsuit story
John Doe is a placeholder name in the lawsuit to protect the identify of a former church employee who alleged a diocesan seminarian raped him. It also details how the church, led by Bishop Richard Stika, interfered with the investigation and worked to discredit him.
Original Jane Doe lawsuit story
Jane Doe is a placeholder name in a lawsuit to protect the identity of the woman, a Honduran asylum seeker living in Gatlinburg who alleges the Rev. Antony Devassey Punnackal, of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, groped her while he counseled her after the death of the father of her infant.
The woman alleges the diocese worked to discredit and intimidate her. Punnackal was later indicted by a Sevier County grand jury on two counts of sexual battery.
Sources: High-ranking Catholic authorities scrutinize Knoxville bishop
As the two lawsuits swirled around the diocese, officials received an apostolic visit late last year. These visits are typically ordered by church authorities to dig into the spiritual well-being of a diocese.
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.
Sources: Bishop Stika interfered with the church’s investigation
Two people who played key roles in a review by the diocese into whether a seminarian raped a diocesan employee in 2019 told Knox News that Stika interfered by firing the investigator, independently confirming allegations that are detailed in a lawsuit by the man who says he was sexually assaulted.
The man who replaced the investigator reportedly only interviewed the former employee and not the alleged victim.
Review Board becomes more secretive
Three months after the diocese and Stika were named in the explosive sexual abuse lawsuit, leaders made the church’s sexual abuse review board meetings much more secretive, including requiring members to sign nondisclosure agreements and disallowing note taking.
Knoxville diocese used top priest to take sex abuse complaints, not therapist
For roughly 10 months after the death of the diocese’s longtime victim assistance coordinator, the diocese leaders replaced the person with a top church official, not a licensed therapist. In December, the diocese and local nonprofit, the McNabb Center, entered into a contract to provide third-party reporting services.
A spokesperson for the church said no complaints were made in the interim.
The lawyer for the diocese held conflicting roles
Going against the norms of the Catholic Church, Stika was listed as a member of the review board that investigates allegations of sexual misconduct, a move the diocese called an oversight.
What’s more, the diocese’s lawyer also is a member of the review board, meaning the same person is simultaneously defending the diocese and conducting what’s supposed to be an independent investigation into the allegation.
A spokesperson for the diocese has said he is “confident that no conflicts exist under the facts of the case.”