Pope Francis appoints new bishop in Tennessee after former bishop's resignation under pressure
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Pope Francis has appointed Reverend James Mark Beckman as Bishop of Knoxville, Tennessee, almost a year after the previous bishop resigned under pressure following claims he mishandled sex abuse allegations.
The Vatican announced the appointment in its Tuesday noon bulletin. As is usual, the announcement made no mention of his predecessor or the circumstances under which he left the post.
Bishop-elect Beckman is a priest of the Diocese of Nashville where he has served as pastor of Saint Henry parish since 2015, according to the announcement. He earned his master’s degree in religious studies from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium in 1989 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1990 for the Diocese of Nashville.
Pope Francis accepted Bishop Richard Stika’s resignation last June, closing a turbulent chapter for the southern U.S. diocese that was marked by a remarkable revolt by some of its priests. They accused Stika of abusing his authority during his 14 years as bishop of Knoxville and protecting a seminarian accused of sexual misconduct.
They appealed to the Vatican for “merciful relief” in 2021, citing their own mental health, sparking a Vatican investigation that led to Stika’s resignation.
In media interviews, Stika strongly defended his actions and his leadership, saying he worked to bring unity in the diocese.
Related articles
Plane passenger reveals his hilarious take on what your seat selection means about your journey
A plane passenger has revealed his hilarious take on what your seat selection means about your journ2024-05-08China's Spring Festival box office record spirals upward
A scene from Hi, Mom. [Photo/Mtime]The Spring Festival box office on the Chinese mainland has notche2024-05-08Enlighten Festival held in Canberra, Australia
A girl poses for photos with colorful lights during the Enlighten Festival in Canberra, Australia, F2024-05-08Advancing new industrialization, modernization
'New quality productive forces' big game-changer, instead of being just a catchphrase"New quality pr2024-05-08Scientists are learning the basic building blocks of sperm whale language after years of effort
ROSEAU, Dominica (AP) — Scientists studying the sperm whales that live around the Caribbean island o2024-05-08Family in NW China's Ningxia carries forward paper cutting culture
Fu Zhao’e (L), together with her daughter and grandchildren, displays her paper cutting works. (Peop2024-05-08
atest comment