Richard Sipe
Encyclopedia
A. W. Richard Sipe is a former Benedictine monk-priest
of 18 years, a sociologist and author of 6 books about Catholicism American Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor
trained specifically to deal with the mental health problems of Roman Catholic Priests. He practiced psychotherapy
, "taught on the faculties of Major Catholic Seminaries and colleges, lectured in medical schools, and served as a consultant and expert witness in both civil and criminal cases involving the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests". During his training and therapies, he conducted a 25-year ethnographic study published in 1990 about the celibate/sexual behavior of that population. In 1970 Richard Sipe married Marianne and they have one son.
He has been a professional witness in over 57 lawsuits,
and priest sexual abuse aired by HBO, BBC
, and other networks in the United States, United Kingdom, and France and he has been widely interviewed by media including CNN, ABC, NBC, CNBC, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, People magazine, Newsweek and USA Today.
"The most valuable development since 2000 has been the open exposure of the misbehavior of priests and religious. This has been one element that alerts not just Catholics but members of other religious groups to the potential sexual dangers posed by men and women in positions of power over young people. The church has contributed to the education about child abuse and the need for prevention of abuse and to provide education for protection for all children and the vulnerable. Unfortunately the efforts of the Catholic Church have been forced on them by the public out cry, victims’ testimony, and the legal system that calls bishops and religious superiors to account for their gross neglect, conspiracies to conceal crimes, and fraud to keep abuse secret. It is an ongoing fight to keep the church honest. Catholic laymen and women (Governor Frank Keating and Chief Justice Anne Burke) who have worked closely with church officials say that the bishops do not want to change, but only want “business as usual.” The encouraging thing is that people do not accept the word of bishops as true, necessary or important anymore."
Court
Scholar
Interviews
Books
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
of 18 years, a sociologist and author of 6 books about Catholicism American Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor
Mental Health Counselor
Mental health counselors practice mental health counseling which is a dynamic, holistic, strengths-based and psychoeducational discipline born in the late 1970s when several mental health professionals realized that the master’s degree level counselors working in community settings lacked a...
trained specifically to deal with the mental health problems of Roman Catholic Priests. He practiced psychotherapy
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
, "taught on the faculties of Major Catholic Seminaries and colleges, lectured in medical schools, and served as a consultant and expert witness in both civil and criminal cases involving the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests". During his training and therapies, he conducted a 25-year ethnographic study published in 1990 about the celibate/sexual behavior of that population. In 1970 Richard Sipe married Marianne and they have one son.
He has been a professional witness in over 57 lawsuits,
Research on Homosexuality
A number of small-scale studies by Dr. A.W. Richard Sipe, and others have not found evidence that homosexuals are more likely to molest children than heterosexuals.Abuse in Burlington Diocese
In a May 2009 study, Sipe found that there were extensive problems in the sexual behavior of Burlington clergy. He examined the records of 102 priests "whose records were available" between 1950 and 2002. He claimed that, out of this group, 23 priests were sexually involved with children under the age of 13 years, 15 were reported for involvement with married women and 19 priests who had sexual relationships with adult men. He asserted that 49 priests could be said to have had a homosexual orientation.Media Coverage
Sipe has participated in 12 documentaries on celibacyCelibacy
Celibacy is a personal commitment to avoiding sexual relations, in particular a vow from marriage. Typically celibacy involves avoiding all romantic relationships of any kind. An individual may choose celibacy for religious reasons, such as is the case for priests in some religions, for reasons of...
and priest sexual abuse aired by HBO, BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, and other networks in the United States, United Kingdom, and France and he has been widely interviewed by media including CNN, ABC, NBC, CNBC, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, People magazine, Newsweek and USA Today.
Statements
Richard Sipe was quoted (in part) as saying that "several hundred popes have been murdered.""The most valuable development since 2000 has been the open exposure of the misbehavior of priests and religious. This has been one element that alerts not just Catholics but members of other religious groups to the potential sexual dangers posed by men and women in positions of power over young people. The church has contributed to the education about child abuse and the need for prevention of abuse and to provide education for protection for all children and the vulnerable. Unfortunately the efforts of the Catholic Church have been forced on them by the public out cry, victims’ testimony, and the legal system that calls bishops and religious superiors to account for their gross neglect, conspiracies to conceal crimes, and fraud to keep abuse secret. It is an ongoing fight to keep the church honest. Catholic laymen and women (Governor Frank Keating and Chief Justice Anne Burke) who have worked closely with church officials say that the bishops do not want to change, but only want “business as usual.” The encouraging thing is that people do not accept the word of bishops as true, necessary or important anymore."
Books by Sipe
- Celibacy in Crisis: A Secret World Revisited. Brunner-Routledge, New York and Hove 2003
- A Secret World: sexuality and the search for celibacy RoutledgeRoutledgeRoutledge is a British publishing house which has operated under a succession of company names and latterly as an academic imprint. Its origins may be traced back to the 19th-century London bookseller George Routledge...
, 1990. - The Serpent and the Dove: celibacy in literature and life Greenwood Publishing GroupGreenwood Publishing GroupGreenwood Publishing Group is an educational publisher and is part of ABC-CLIO. It publishes reference works under its Greenwood Press imprint, and scholarly, professional, and general interest books under Praeger Publishers...
, 2007, ISBN 0313347255 262 pages - Sex, Priests, and Power: anatomy of a crisis Routledge Mental Health, 1995, ISBN 0876307691, 220 pages
- Abuse by Priests: Why? (Audio Cassette)
- Celibacy: A Way of Loving, Living, and Serving
- Living the Celibate Life: A Search for Models and Meaning
External links
- Jknirp.com
- Seattleweekly.com, "Breech of faith"
- Seattleweekly.com, "A real charmer"
- UKvocation.org
- Napac.org.uk
- Timberlakepublishing.com
- Andrewmurray.org.au
- NYtimes.com
- PDX.edu
- UNI.edu
Court
Scholar
- Sagepub.com, extract
- Oxfordjournals.org
- Sagepub.com, reprint
Interviews
- USAtoday.com
- CNN.com
- CNN.com, transcripts.
- Channel4.com
Books
- Sex these days: essays on theology, sexuality and society by Jon Davies, Gerard Loughlin
- The Silence of Sodom: Homosexuality in Modern Catholicism by Mark D. Jordan