Guidelines for Ethics

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Guidelines for Ethics Integrity in Ministry

• Relationships among people are the foundation of
  Christian ministry and are central to Church
  life.

2
Principles of Ethics and Integrity for Ministry

• Church personnel will
• exhibit the highest Christian ethical standards
  and personal integrity
• conduct themselves in a manner consistent with
  the discipline and teachings of the Church
• provide a professional work environment free from
  intimidation or harassment

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• avoid taking unfair advantage of a counseling
  relationhship for the benefit of themselves
• accept their personal responsibility to protect
  minors and adults from all forms of abuse.
• Church personnel will not
• physically, sexually or emotionally abuse or
  neglect a minor or an adult

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General definitions

• Church personnel
• All priests, permanent deacons and transitional
  deacons of the Diocese
• All religious priests, deacons and brothers
  working in parishes and other institutions of the
  Diocese
• All non-ordained persons who participate in the
  exercise of the pastoral care of a parish in
  accord with Canon 517 2
• Clerics of other jurisdictions assigned for work
  in the Diocese
• Women religious working in parishes and other
  institutions of the Diocese

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• All personnel of Catholic schools
• All religious education directors and teachers
• All youth ministers
• All personnel of diocesan campus ministry
  programs
• All paid personnel in offices of the diocese,
  parishes, schools, and Society for the
  Propagation of the Faith
• All who volunteer for work in offices and
  institutions and with persons of special concerns
• Other personnel as designated by the Bishop

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Types of misconduct

• Immoral Conduct
• Conduct contrary to discipline and teachings of
  the Church
• Harassment
• Conduct or language that creates an
  intimidating, hostile or offensive work
  environment
• Exploitation
• Taking advantage of a counseling relationship
  for the benefit of the counselor
• Abuse of Minors
• Physical, sexual or emotional abuse of children
  under 18, or adults who are uniquely vulnerable
  to abuse because of physical or mental
  disabilities

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• Sexual Misconduct
• A general term that includes sexual abuse,
  sexual exploitation and sexual harassment
• Sexual Abuse
• Subjection of a child or vulnerable adult to any
  sexual contact or act, which is a violation of
  the Minnesota Criminal Sexual Conduct Code

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• Sexual Exploitation
• Any kind of sexual interaction between counselor
  and client, whether initiated by either counselor
  or client and regardless of the consent of the
  client
• Sexual Harassment
• Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual
  favors, sexually motivated physical contact or
  other verbal or physical conduct or communication
  of a sexual nature
• Quid pro quo occurs when the employee/client is
  subject to unwelcome sexual advances and
  submission to them is made the basis of firing,
  hiring, advancement
• Environmental occurs when any type of
  unwelcome sexual behavior crates a hostile
  environment

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• Vulnerable Adult
• A person 18 years of age or older who, because
  of impairment of mental or physical function or
  emotional status, is unable or unlikely to report
  abuse or neglect without assistance

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Prevention of Immoral Conduct Guidelines for
Ethics and Integrity in Ministry

• All Church personnel have a responsibility to
  uphold the standards of the Catholic Church in
  their day-to-day work and personal lives.

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Church personnel shall not engage in the
following conduct

• Formally rejecting Church teachings or the
  Christian way of life
• Actions disruptive to ministry and public
  worship
• Procuring or participating in abortion,
  homicide or euthanasia
• Possessing pornographic materials

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• Engaging in adultery, flagrant promiscuity, or
  cohabitation
• Abusing alcohol, drugs or gambling
• Stealing or any other form of theft
• Sexual harassment, exploitation or abuse
• Physical assault and fighting

13
Church personnel shall not harm the reputation of
others through

• 1. Disclosing the faults of others to persons who
  have no cause to know them
• 2. Making false accusations against another

14
Prevention of HarassmentGuidelines for
Professionalism

• Harassment can include
• ? Physical or mental abuse
• ? Racial insults
• ? Derogatory ethnic slurs
• ? Unwelcome sexual advances
• ? Sexual comments or jokes
• ? Requests for sexual favors used as a
  condition for continued employment, or to affect
  other personnel decisions, such as promotion or
  compensation
• ? Display of offensive materials

15

• Church personnel will not engage in physical,
  psychological, written or verbal harassment of
  employees, volunteers or parishioners and will
  not tolerate harassment committed by others.
• Church personnel shall provide a professional
  work environment free from intimidation and
  harassment.

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Prevention of ExploitationGuidelines for
Counseling Relationships

• 1. Church personnel are to avoid situations
  and conduct that are, or may give the appearance
  of, exploitation or conflicts of interest
• 2. Church personnel shall not step beyond
  their competence in counseling
• 3. Church personnel must never engage in
  sexual intimacies with persons they counsel

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• 4. Church personnel shall not engage in sexual
  intimacies with relatives, friends or other
  individuals who are close to the client, when
  there is a risk of exploitation or harm to the
  client
• 5. Church personnel assume the full burden for
  setting and maintaining appropriate boundaries
• 6. Physical contact shall be respectful

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• 7. Sessions shall be conducted in appropriate
  settings at appropriate times
• 8. No sessions shall be conducted in private
  living quarters
• 9. Church personnel shall maintain a log of the
  times and places of sessions

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CONFIDENTIALITY

• ? Information disclosed to Church personnel
  during the course of counseling, advising or
  spiritual direction must be held in the strictest
  confidence possible
• ? It is absolutely forbidden for a priest to
  betray the confidence of a penitent in any way
  and for any reason

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• ? Church personnel shall discuss the nature of
  confidentiality and its limitations with each
  person in counseling
• ? Information obtained in counseling shall be
  confidential, except for compelling professional
  reasons or as required by law
• - if there is a clear and imminent danger to the
  client or others
• - if feasible, the client should be informed
  before disclosure

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• ? Church personnel providing pastoral counseling
  or spiritual direction shall keep minimal records
  of all sessions
• ? Knowledge gained from professional contact may
  not be used in teaching, delivering homilies or
  other public presentations
• ? If Church personnel discover, while counseling
  a minor, that there is a serious threat to the
  welfare of the minor, the pastoral counselor
  shall disclose only what is necessary to protect
  the minor

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CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

• ? Church personnel shall avoid situations that
  might present a conflict of interest between a
  counselor and a person being counseled
• ? If a conflict of interest exists or arises,
  Church personnel shall inform all parties
• ? Church personnel must establish clear,
  appropriate boundaries with anyone with whom they
  have a business, professional or social
  relationship

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Prevention of Abuse

• Definitions
• Minor
• Anyone under 18
• Vulnerable Adult
• A person 18 or older who, because of impairment
  of mental or physical function or emotional
  status, is unable or unlikely to report abuse or
  neglect without assistance

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• Physical Abuse
• Non-accidental injury intentionally inflicted on
  a minor
• Sexual Abuse
• Any contact of a sexual nature between a minor
  and adult
• Emotional Abuse
• Mental or emotional injury to a minor that
  results in an observable and material impairment
  in the minors growth, development or
  psychological functioning
• Neglect
• Failure to provide for a minors basic needs, or
  failure to protect a minor from harm

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Guidelines for Interaction with Minors

• ?Release minors only to parents, legal guardians,
  or others designated by parents/legal guardians
• ?Report uncontrollable or unusual behavior of
  minors to parents
• ?No use, possession, or being under influence of
  alcohol or illegal drugs while working with minors

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• ?When providing transportation for minors
• Written permission
• No unauthorized stops
• Avoid unnecessary physical contact
• Drivers at least 18

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• ?No harsh, threatening, intimidating, shaming,
  derogatory, demeaning or humiliating remarks
• ?No sexually oriented conversations other than
  lessons and discussions on human sexuality which
  convey Church teaching
• ?Never be nude in presence of minors
• ?No sexually oriented materials on Church
  property or in presence of minors

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• ?No sleeping in same bed, sleeping bags or small
  tents with minors
• ?Minors other than immediate family members not
  permitted to be overnight guests in residences of
  priests or religious

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• Physical Contact with Minors
• ?Physical discipline prohibited No spanking,
  slapping, pinching, hitting, etc.

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• ?Examples of affection that are not to be used
• Inappropriate or lengthy embraces
• Kissing on the mouth
• Holding minors over two years of age on the
  lap
• Touching bottoms, chests, genital areas
• Showing affection in isolated areas
• Sleeping in bed with a child
• Touching knees or legs of minors
• Wrestling with minors
• Tickling minors
• Piggyback rides
• Any type of massage
• Any form of unwanted affection
• Compliments that relate to physique or body
  development