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	Cheating Priests May Be Named Associated Press October 23, 2007 http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gg8mHUS6Vg8LkjAeil8cbQc1RcdQD8SEN2100 CANBERRA — Anglican ministers accused of cheating on their spouses may be included on a proposed church database of child abusers and sex offenders, a church official said Tuesday. The proposed register would give top Anglican officials access to any complaints made against ministers or lay workers accused of child abuse. But it would also include complaints of sexual misconduct against adults, such as adultery, even if the claims are unproven. Philip Gerber, the professional standards director of the Sydney diocese, said potential ministers and church workers should be held to a higher moral code than other members of the community. He said the register would be used to determine internal church appointments, and would distinguish between the types of allegations made, including rumors, written complaints and legal action. "The church has always had a high expectation, a scriptural expectation, that members of the clergy and church workers lead moral lives," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. "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," he added. "We just want to make sure that whenever people come in touch with the church they are safe." The proposal was being discussed at the Anglican church's triennial synod, or assembly, in the nation's capital, Canberra. If approved, officials said the database could be compiled and running by March. Critics say marital infidelity should not be included alongside child sexual abuse in the register. "The serious issues are very important (and we) 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," said Muriel Porter, a lay member of the Anglican synod.
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