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
- In the emergency room, Dr Jordan Wagner, also known as Doctor ER, treats everything from gunshot tra2024-05-08
McCutchen's 300th homer, Suwinski's grand slam leads Pirates over Phillies 9
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Andrew McCutchen hit his 300th home run, Jack Suwinski had a grand slam and the2024-05-08Lantern dragon dance performed to greet upcoming Lantern Festival across China
(Xinhua) 08:32, February 21, 2024Actors give a dragon dance performance in celebration of the upcomi2024-05-08- This is the moment Iran began its 300 missile attack against Israel last night, as the world holds i2024-05-08
With help from AI, Randy Travis got his voice back. Here's how his first song post
With some help from artificial intelligence, country music star Randy Travis, celebrated for his tim2024-05-08People across China enjoy festive events to celebrate Chinese Lunar New Year
(Xinhua) 09:40, February 14, 2024Actors perform dance during an event celebrating the Chinese Lunar2024-05-08
atest comment