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
Analysis: Brooks Koepka has a big game. He doesn't need a lot of words
Brooks Koepka leaves the bluster to everyone else at LIV Golf. He cares about only his golf, especia2024-05-08Elena Rybakina beats Marta Kostyuk 6
STUTTGART, Germany (AP) — Elena Rybakina eased to her third title of the season on Sunday with a 6-22024-05-08Atletico misses chance to strengthen hold on 4th place after losing at Alaves in Spanish league
MADRID (AP) — Atletico Madrid followed up its Champions League elimination with a 2-0 loss at Alaves2024-05-08I auditioned for Britain's Got Talent ten years ago and it looks nothing like what you see on TV
A TikTok vlogger has shared a shocking revelation about her experience on Britain's Got Talent as a2024-05-08Badosa shows signs of her old form in a win over Andreeva at the Italian Open
ROME (AP) — Paula Badosa showed signs of her former top-five form during a 6-2, 6-3 victory over 17-2024-05-08Only one member of the royal family has ever run the London Marathon
Only one member of the royal family has ever completed the London Marathon. Despite there being many2024-05-08
atest comment