ABC
October 23, 2007
http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/23/2067801.htm?section=australia
The Anglican Church's national register of child abusers and sex offenders is set to include ministers and lay workers who are accused of extra-marital affairs.
The church denies it is a blacklist but says the register will be used to determine appointments and ordinations.
But other members of the Synod are alarmed and believe the plan is part of a moral crusade led by the Church's conservative wing.
The register is part of the Anglican Church's attempt to take a firm stand against sexual abuse by its clergy and lay workers.
The proposed National Register of Child Abusers and Sex Offenders will give the church the ability to screen them for convictions as well as allegations of child abuse.
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| The register is part of the Anglican Church's attempt to take a firm stand against sexual abuse by its clergy and lay workers. |
But at this week's General Synod in Canberra, the register will add another dimension with the inclusion of those accused of extra-marital affairs.
High expectations
The professional standards director of the Sydney Diocese, Philip Gerber, says the Anglican Church has always had high expectations of its workers.
"A scriptural expectation that members of the clergy and church workers lead moral lives - it's part and parcel of being that," he said.
"It's a higher expectation, perhaps, than you have of an ordinary member of the community and so we expect our ministers to be above reproach in that area."
Mr Gerber says marital infidelity among the clergy is rare but it does happen.
"Often people that come in touch with clergy are vulnerable because they're in a pastoral situation and the minister is, in a sense, in a position of power because they provide pastoral care and spiritual care and so on," he said.
"So we just want to make sure that whenever people come in touch with the church they are safe."
The Anglican Church aims to have the register set up by March next year.
It will distinguish between types of allegations made, including rumours and written statements, and the information will be used to determine church appointments.
Blacklist claim
But for those listed, the only way to come off, once an allegation has been made, is to be completely cleared of it.
Mr Gerber denies it is a blacklist.
"We are not going to set up a bureau of investigation, but obviously when these sorts of things happen, either the person concerned or people that know of the facts, sometimes can be concerned and they come forward and make a complaint, so it's based on complaints," he said.
But there is concern within the church about the move.
Dr Muriel Porter is a lay member of the synod and thinks it is wrong to include extra-marital affairs alongside sexual abuse.
"If it was an affair involving a parishioner or someone under their power and control, if you like, in a parish or pastoral situation, then that could certainly be termed abuse," she said.
"But there might be other situations.
"I think we have to be very careful in this area, as I say, that we don't downplay the really serious issues.
"The serious issues are very importantly must deal with them properly, but we're getting to the point where people for, almost for winking at somebody, could end up being on a register and I think that's quite serious."
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