Bishop Stika's Strange Travel Partner
Sobczuk has been staying in Stika's house and has received thousands of dollars of diocesan money (PillarCatholic.com, April 28). He was dismissed from the Polish Jesuits amid allegations of homosexual misconduct but became a Knoxville seminarian in 2018 where he was again dismissed in March 2021.
While being a seminarian, Sobczuk invited another seminarian in 2020 for five-days to Knoxville seminary. This seminarian claims Sobczuk sent him sexually graphic Snapchat and text messages and repeatedly groped him. At one night, Sobczuk pushed him onto a couch, pinned him down and held him for a minute until the other could fight him off.
The next day, Sobczuk said, “I’m not a bad person, I’m good [sic!]. I’m just Wojciech.” Sobczuk was able to organise a dinner for that seminarian with Bishop Stika and Cardinal Rigali who lives in retirement with Stika and some dogs.
Weeks later, Sobczuk apologised, claiming that he had been under a lot of pressure, and that he had “never done anything like that before.”
Bishop Stika was confronted with the allegations in March 2021. He downplayed them to PillarCatholic.com as “boundary issues.” They would not merit Sobczuk’s dismissal. Two other seminarians accuse Sobczuk of homosexual misconduct but Stika countered that Sobczuk “denies all three” allegations.
There is also a 2019 allegation made against Sobczuk accusing him of raping and sexually harassing a parish organist. Stika said this was not true. He investigated the matter and concluded that it was the other way around and Sobczuk was “sexually attacked by the organist.” The organist calls Stika’s version a defamation. There exists a handwritten note from Sobczuk produced the week after the alleged rape apologising to the organist, “for what was wrong – I apologise with all my heart!” The organist’s case is currently subject to a lawsuit.
Homosexual troubles in Catholic milieus often coincide with financial misconduct. Knoxville diocesan fiscal records indicate that between 2018 and 2020, Stika allocated $4,000 of diocesan money as cash gifts for Sobczuk. He further directed the diocese to purchase for Sobczuk a $2,000 laptop. Knoxville diocese also paid Sobczuk’s phone bill, travel, car repair, “birthday expenses,” and other expenditures. Other seminarians testified that they never received gifts of such kind.
During several months between 2018 and 2020, Sobczuk lived in Bishop Stika’s house. Stika also took Sobczuk in December 2019 to accompany him to the Vatican. Even after Sobczuk’s dismissal, Stika took him on a 10-day road trip vacation.
Picture: Richard F. Stika, Wikicommons, CC-BY-SA