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Richard Sipe

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Aquinas Walter Richard Sipe(December 11, 1932 – August 8, 2018) was an AmericanBenedictine monk-priestfor 18 years (1952–1970 atSaint John's Abbey,Collegeville,Minnesota[1]), a psychotherapist and the author of six books aboutCatholicism,clerical sexual abuse in the Catholic Church,andclerical celibacy.

Life

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Born inRobbinsdale, Minnesota,Sipe was an American Certified ClinicalMental Health Counselortrained specifically[2]to treatRoman Catholic priests.He practicedpsychotherapy,"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-yearethnographic studypublished in 1990 about the sexual behavior ofcelibates,in which he found more than half had sexual relationships. In 1970, after receiving a dispensation from his vows as a priest, Sipe married a former nun, Marianne; they had a son.[3]

Sipe was a witness in more than 57 lawsuits, testifying on behalf of victims ofchild sexual abuseby Catholic priests.

Sipe died on August 8, 2018, ofmultiple organ failureinLa Jolla, California,at age 85.[3][4]

Media coverage

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Sipe participated in 12 documentaries oncelibacyandpriest sexual abuseaired byHBO,BBC,and other networks in the United States, United Kingdom, and France, and was widely interviewed by media, includingCNN,ABC,NBC,CNBC,The New York Times,theLos Angeles Times,Peoplemagazine,NewsweekandUSA Today.[5]On January 21, 1995, he made an extended appearance on a special edition of the British television discussion programAfter Dark,alongsideGarret FitzGeraldandSinéad O'Connor,among others.[6]

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Sipe's research and his bookSex, Priests and Powerare depicted inTom McCarthy's 2015 filmSpotlightas crucial in theBoston Globe'sPulitzer Prize–winning 2002 investigation of predatory priests and the decades-long cover-up of their crimes by theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston.The 1995 book is shown onscreen in its bright-red-covered hardback edition when the investigative team meet the first victim,Phil Saviano,the founder of theNew Englandchapter ofSNAP.[7]As a favor to McCarthy, actorRichard Jenkinsperformed uncredited as Sipe's voice in three phone calls, each based on real conversations with Spotlight reporters.[8][9]

Abuse in Burlington diocese

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Main article:Sexual abuse scandal in Burlington diocese

In a May 2009 study, Sipe found that there were extensive problems in the sexual behavior ofBurlington, Vermont,Catholic clergy. He examined the records of 102 priests "whose records were available" between 1950 and 2002. He claimed that, of this group, 23 priests were sexually involved with children under age 13, 15 were reported for involvement with married women and 19 were said to have had sexual relationships with adult men. He asserted that 49 could be said to have a homosexual orientation.[10]

Research on homosexuality

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See also:Homosexuality and Roman Catholic priestsandSocietal attitudes toward homosexuality

A number of small-scale studies by Sipe and others have not found evidence that homosexuals are more likely to break the vow of celibacy than heterosexuals.[11][12]

Books by Sipe

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  • Courage at Three AM(a book of poetry), FriesenPress, August 3, 2017, 72 pages
  • A Secret World: sexuality and the search for celibacy,Routledge,1990,ISBN978-0876305850,324 pages
  • Sex, Priests, and Power: anatomy of a crisis,Routledge Mental Health, 1995,ISBN0-87630-769-1,220 pages
  • Celibacy: A Way of Loving, Living, and Serving,Liguori Publications, 1st edition (May 1996),ISBN978-0892438747,197 pages
  • Psychiatry, Ministry, and Pastoral Counseling- Paperback – March 1, 1984ISBN978-0814613245,384 pages
  • Celibacy in Crisis: A Secret World Revisited,Brunner-Routledge, New York and Hove 2003,ISBN978-0415944731,368 pages
  • Living the Celibate Life: A Search for Models and Meaning,Liguori (November 2, 2004),ISBN978-0764810985,192 pages
  • The Serpent and the Dove: celibacy in literature and life,Greenwood Publishing Group,2007,ISBN0313347255,262 pages.
  • Abuse by Priests: Why? (Audio Cassette)

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Behind the Pine Curtain Decades of Abuse and Secrecy at St. Johns Abbey, Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN), September 29, 2002".
  2. ^Richard Sipe Reports
  3. ^abAbout Richard
  4. ^Otterman, Sharon (9 August 2018)."A.W. Richard Sipe, a Leading Expert on Clergy Sex Abuse, Dies at 85".The New York Times.
  5. ^Richard Sipe, Greenwood
  6. ^Production company website,accessed 3 February 2021
  7. ^Awards screener DVD, Spotlight, 2015
  8. ^San Diego Man’s Role In Uncovering Priest Sex Abuse Featured In ‘Spotlight’
  9. ^Thompson, Anne (November 9, 2015)."Director Tom McCarthy Puts 'Spotlight' on Sexually Predatory Catholic Priests".IndieWire.Los Angeles, California:Penske Media Corporation.RetrievedJuly 13,2016.
  10. ^Vermont: Profile of one diocese
  11. ^Elias, Marilyn (November 19, 2015)."Is homosexuality to blame for church scandal?".USA Today.RetrievedJuly 13,2016.
  12. ^"Facts About Homosexuality and Child Molestation"Archived2010-04-19 at theWayback MachinefromUC Davis
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Court
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Interviews
Books
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