KNOXVILLE (TN)
Knoxville News Sentinel [Knoxville TN]
June 2, 2026
By Tyler Whetstone
Hours after Knox News published an exclusive report about how former Bishop Richard Stika defied church policy by using secrecy clauses in sex abuse lawsuit settlements, his successor announced the Diocese of Knoxville will not enforce elements of the deals meant to silence victims.
“Bishop (Mark) Beckman does not intend to seek or enforce nondisclosure or nondisparagement agreements in response to sexual abuse allegations. The Church should never stand as a barrier between a survivor and their ability to heal,” says the statement.
The spokesperson sent Knox News the statement June 1, four days after the news report published. The statement was not visible on the diocese’s website as of June 1 on the home page where news releases appear or under the headings for “Safe Environment” or “Report Abuse.”
The Catholic Church in America banned the use of nondisparagement and nondisclosure deals with victims of sexual abuse as part of its effort to foster transparency and healing following news reporting across the nation in the early 2000s that showed how church leaders for generations went to great lengths to try to hide instances of clergy sexual abuse.
Knox News revealed Stika covered up at least one use of the banned secrecy deals and used one in at least one other case.
For nearly a month before publishing about the Knoxville diocese’s use of secrecy agreements, Knox News requested a meeting with Beckman and sent him questions, including whether he would release victims from silencing agreements. Through a spokesperson, Beckman declined to meet or say whether he would release victims from the deals.
The statement says, in full:
“Bishop Beckman’s foremost concern is, and will remain, the care and healing of anyone who has suffered abuse. The Diocese of Knoxville is committed to meeting its obligations under the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and to upholding the standards set forth by the Holy See.
“Bishop Beckman does not intend to seek or enforce nondisclosure or nondisparagement agreements in response to sexual abuse allegations. The Church should never stand as a barrier between a survivor and their ability to heal.
“Bishop Beckman remains available to any survivor who wishes to speak with him directly as part of their healing.”
FOLLOW UP: If you are a victim, we want to speak with you. You can message reporter Tyler Whetstone at tyler.whetstone@knoxnews.com or reach him on Signal at twhetstone141924.39.
What did sex abuse victims sign?
Knox News has reviewed two agreements signed by local victims. One was signed by former altar boy Michael Boyd in 2019 and the other by a former church employee in 2013. Boyd has previously spoken about his allegations and Knox News is naming him with his permission. The woman, however, has not spoken about hers, she told Knox News, due to the implied threat included in her agreement.
Specifically, the silencing agreements signed by the victims included nondisparagement clauses and were included in their settlements with the diocese.
A nondisparagement agreement is less restrictive than a nondisclosure agreement, under which nothing can ever be said about a case. It prohibits “disparaging remarks” without defining what would or would not be disparaging.
Stika did not report an agreement
Boyd asserted he was sexually abused by the late Bishop Anthony O’Connell and the Rev. Xavier Mankel as a child. The diocese settled his lawsuit in 2019, though Stika did not report the agreement as church policy dictates.
StoneBridge Business Partners audits every diocese across the country on how well they follow church policy regarding the handling of sex abuse investigations. The firm found the diocese was in compliance with the policy but had the agency known about the nondisparagement agreement, a partner recently told Knox News, the diocese would have been found noncompliant.
The problem with silencing agreements
Following the world-shaking revelations of the depth of the Catholic sex abuse crisis, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops approved a new church policy for dealing with allegations of sex abuse called the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, commonly known as the Dallas Charter.
One of the outcomes of this policy was the elimination of confidentiality agreements unless they are requested by the victim: “Dioceses/eparchies will not enter into confidentiality agreements except for grave and substantial reasons brought forward by the victim/survivor and noted in the text of the agreement.”
The original 2002 policy did not include protection for adult victims, though some dioceses included this language in local rules. Protection for adult victims didn’t come until 2019, when Pope Francis issued Vos Estis Lux Mundi (which is translated “You are the light of the world”), groundbreaking Church legislation that required mandatory reporting for sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults. Boyd’s nondisparagement agreement was the same year, after the Pope’s instructions.
Because Boyd’s allegations deal with abuse he said happened to him as a child, his nondisparagement agreement violates the charter. However, the woman’s nondisparagement agreement, which was signed in 2013, was not against church policy at the time, though it likely would be if it were issued today.
Additionally, a little-known 2018 law passed by the Tennessee General Assembly banned the use of nondisclosure agreements in cases dealing with child sex abuse allegations.