Code of Conduct

Introduction

“Ministry with Integrity”, a consultation document of the Congregation of Religious in Ireland (CORI) is the basis of this code, and we acknowledge our thanks to that body for allowing us to make use of it.  Our Code of conduct is about ethical and professional issues in missionary ministry.

What is a code of Conduct and what is its purpose and standing?  It is neither law, nor a set of rules.  It is rather a guide setting out appropriate conduct for a specific group of people sharing the same profession.

Missionary life and priesthood have changed.  There have been many innovations and developments over the last 30 years.  As a result our professional ministerial behaviour needs to reflect such changes.

This guide is not meant to replace the Gospels, Code of Canon Law, or our Constitutions.  It is meant to supplement them and provide a day to day handbook for our life and ministry.  It could also provide for further debate and reflection.  Hopefully it will be helpful to all Mill Hill Missionaries, and those in formation for mission.

It is suggested that professional codes of conduct serve three main functions:

1.     Reassuring the public

2.     Providing guidelines for the profession

3.     Providing a basis on which individual members can make decisions around their behaviour.

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Theological Framework

The call to be a missionary is heard within the Church.   Thus the appropriate theological model for missionary ministry is the Covenant.

The Covenantal relationship is:

• Based on freedom
• Motivated by love
• Respectful of the dignity of each person
• Held together by trust

The Covenantal missionary is:

• Trustworthy
• Accountable to the community and its cultural expectations
• Faithful in upholding the rights of the vulnerable
• Liberating in the exercise of authority

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The Moral and Spiritual character of the Mill Hill Missionary

Our personal integrity and its consistency with the values we profess will be the most effective influence on our ministry.

Characteristics of the Mill Hill Missionary:

• Holiness
• Love
• Trustworthiness
• Detachment
• Altruism
• Authenticity
• Courage
• Prudence

Spirituality of the Mill Hill Missionary:

• Faithful commitment to personal and community prayer, and to public worship
• Willingness to identify with the poor and marginalized
• A commitment to a life of faith, hope, and love
• Participation in an adequate process of spiritual discernment, and ongoing spiritual formation

The integrated missionary is:

• Open, flexible, and genuinely caring
• Committed to protecting the fundamental dignity and rights of each person
• Open, tolerant, and respectful in relationships with colleagues
• Compassionate, without intruding on privacy
• Holding as a sacred trust the communication of other people’s personal lives
• Generous in the sharing of time and talent

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Obligations of the Mill Hill Missionary

Theological competence:

• Being so involved in missionary and pastoral activities we need to schedule time to developing theological knowledge, especially in the area of missiology.  We need to develop the necessary skills needed in our particular situations.  This can be done by way of study, participation in professional courses, study leave and sabbaticals.

Professional competence:

• We are aware of the need for professional standards in our ministry, and also clear on what standards apply in our various situations
• We have a duty to seek and maintain competence in our won area of expertise.  This happens through our initial training, updating and professional development, peer interaction and regular evaluation.

Service of People’s need for Salvation

• We preserve and promote through our own behaviour the way to love God and love neighbour as oneself
• We exhibit a deep commitment to the Society and the Church, and are loyal to the teachings and traditions of the latter.  This we bring into contact with the lives and circumstances of the people we serve.

Commitment to the Other’s best interest:

• We are approachable and available to help
• We are respectful of the dignity of each person, providing service regardless of economic status, age, gender, race, sexual orientation, or physical and mental abilities
• We are sensitive to the risks accompanying pastoral relationships in which the boundaries between professional and personal lives are blurred
• We recognize our personal limits as missionary ministers – not giving help in areas outside out qualification or competence
• We are willing to terminate a pastoral relationship when it ceases to benefit the person, and will offer help by referring the person to someone else.

Care for self:

We strive:

• To keep spiritually healthy by following a regular discipline of reflective reading, private and community prayer, spiritual direction, recollection and retreat, and other disciplines and practices that enhance our awareness of and responsiveness to God
• To keep healthy, physically and emotionally, by getting proper nutrition and adequate sleep, by taking exercise, days off and vacations, by guarding against the misuse of alcohol and other drugs, and by nurturing friendships outside our pastoral relationships to meet our personal needs for intimacy
• To give priority to our families if we are married
• To keep morally and professionally healthy by sharing in a confidential supportive group of colleagues, getting counsel and support for our vision, values, and good practice.

Use of power:

We are:

• Aware of the unique power that we exercise over those seeing pastoral service.  We use this power in ways that respect the dignity of persons, empowering them to exercise their own freedom and so share more fully in the mission of the Church
• Sufficiently self-disciplined as to maintain clear boundaries in our pastoral relationships and always refrain from exploiting the trust and dependency of those who seek our service, not using them to satisfy our personal needs for attention, acceptance and pleasure
• Careful to avoid, as far as possible, dual relationships (an example of a ‘dual relationship’ is when someone interacts with another person in more than one capacity, e.g. as a fellow team member and a counselor) which could impair our personal judgment.  We thus avoid conflicts of interest or the exploitation of the pastoral relationship for personal gain.
• Aware that dual relationships are sometimes unavoidable in pastoral ministry and that we must lessen the potential for conflicts of interest and exploitation by monitoring the development of the relationship through supervision, peer evaluation and/or spiritual direction
• Aware of the possible imbalance of power among professional and pastoral colleagues and avoid bullying those who work with us and for whom we work.

Accountability

• We internalize the standards of practice appropriate to our service and as required in the countries we serve in.  We abide by them and hold one another accountable to them
• When we have serious reservations about the ethical behaviour of a colleague, we take action to rectify the matter.  This is done firstly through internal channels and procedures and if unsuccessful, through appropriate civil/legal channels
• We have a structure or procedure through which our achievement of our objectives and standards are periodically evaluated.  This can be done through specified peer evaluation, supervisor review, or through agreed evaluation procedures.
• We take care, early in a relationship, to clarify what the other might expect from the relationship and the extent of our expertise and experience
• When our ministry also involves administration of property and finance, we adhere to the appropriate codes of practice for that ministry.

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The Pastoral Relationship

Boundaries:

• Boundary violations are committed when we knowingly or unknowingly cross the emotional, physical or sexual limits of another
• We are always responsible for maintaining appropriate behaviour
• We never initiate sexual behaviour and refuse it when another initiates it
• We are prudent in physical touch
• We are familiar with the dynamics of transference and counter-transference and their consequences (a person seeking pastoral help can project on to the minister their own unmet needs or unresolved conflicts which hark back to earlier relationships with others.  This is called transference.  When the minister does the same and projects his or her unmet needs and unresolved conflicts onto the person seeking help, this is called counter-transference).
• If we are ordained priests we clearly distinguish the Sacrament of Reconciliation from other relationships such as counseling
• We always satisfy our needs for affection, intimacy and friendship outside the pastoral relationship
• We avoid anything in speech or behaviour that might involve sexual harassment of another
• We choose an appropriate physical environment in which to exercise ministry
• We are discerning and prudent in showing expressions of regard and in the giving and receiving of gifts
• Where the bond of trust is jeopardized by encroachment on the boundaries, we take steps to bring the relationship to a close and arranges referral to another minister.

Confidentiality

• If we are ordained priests we respect the absolute secrecy of the seal of confession
• We keep confidential, information which is disclosed to us while acting as pastoral ministers
• we are aware that there are circumstances in which confidential information can or must be revealed
• We seek the permission of the discloser before sharing private information with others and have serious reasons for seeking that permission
• When the condition and behaviour of a person seeking help indicate clear and imminent danger to self or others, or when abuse is involved, we must take reasonable action to inform potential victims and/or inform proper responsible authorities.  Consultation with other responsible ministers or professionals (unknown by the person seeking help) protects absolutely the identity of the persons concerned.
• During supervision or evaluation we sometimes share confidential information, but do so in a manner which protects absolutely the identity of the persons concerned
• We sometimes consult other ministers or professionals about a person we are helping.  In doing so we ensure complete anonymity for the person
• We refrain from gossip, which is harmful to another
• We clarify with the person we are helping, their own understanding and practice of confidentiality.

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