| Guidelines for the
professional conduct of clergy are
published
Draft Guidelines for the Professional Conduct of Clergy
were recently published for consultation.. The
guidelines, commissioned by the two Lower Houses of the
Convocations of Canterbury and York (clergy), were
drafted by clergy for clergy through the work of a
working party chaired by Canon Hugh Wilcox, a parish
priest, member of the General Synod and the Archbishops'
Council. The guidelines, amended in the light of comments
made, will be laid before the Convocations and the
General Synod before final guidelines are agreed.
The primary aims of the guidelines are:
* To ensure the welfare and protection of
individuals and groups with whom the clergy work
· To
ensure the welfare and protection of the clergy and their
families.
To encourage clergy to aspire to the highest possible
standards of conduct
· To
provide safe and effective boundaries for clerical
ministry to encourage personal and corporate
ministerial development.
The Rev. Dr Francis Bridger, Principal of Trinity College
Bristol, has addressed the need for such guidelines in a
theological reflection published with the draft. The need
for guidelines, he says, must be seen 'against the
backdrop' of the new Clergy Discipline Measure, currently
before Parliament.
'Discipline
requires definition and this in turn points to the need
for a code of practice or a set of guidelines.' says Dr
Bridger. He also cites the urgent need for the Church to
respond to social pressures for greater (self-)
regulation of professions. The reflection also addresses
the common
thread between vocation and profession, which makes it
appropriate for clergy to draw up a set of guidelines for
their conduct.
The guidelines cover the principles of ministry set out
in the ordinal, the charge of ministry given to clergy at
ordination. They cover such matters as good practice in
pastoral and counselling relationships, dealing with data
protection issues relating to the keeping of records and
the importance of clergy being aware of legal obligations
on them. Personal information is to be regarded as
presumed confidential, but clergy are to be aware of
where they are under a duty to disclose information, such
as where the protection of children is involved. At the
same time, the absolute confidentiality of the 'seal of
the confessional' is upheld.
The obligations are not all one-sided: the draft
encourages clergy to make time for their own spiritual
development as much as their congregations are encouraged
to make time for rest and retreat for their clergy.
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