God the Creator loves and values all human beings equally
and without distinction. This is the witness of Scripture
and of the Judaeo-Christian tradition. The fullest disclosure
of who God is and how God acts is, according to Christian
belief, given us in Jesus, in his life, death and resurrection.
In him we see God at work, powerfully and compassionately.
Jesus heals, reconciles and reshapes relationships; he challenges
injustice, divisiveness and the oppression of the most vulnerable.
The Gospel of Jesus not only reveals God to us but also suggests
how we should respond to God and to each other.
The Church as a whole is
called to live as the Body of Christ. As members of the
Body we are called to create and maintain relationships
which express mutual respect, trust and care, and which
avoid causing pain. Accredited ministers and others who
hold office within the Church have a particular responsibility
in this regard. However, we recognise that the Christian
calling is to a process of growth and learning, as yet incomplete.
No-one is infallible, or above reproach. When abuse or mistreatment
takes place, we also have a responsibility to reconcile
and to act against injustice.
Therefore lay and ordained
members of the Diocese share responsibility for creating
and maintaining relationships and structures which demonstrate
people’s equal value in God’s sight, so that
the possibility of abuse is reduced. We are also jointly
responsible for recognising abuse when it occurs, and for
responding appropriately in such situations.
The following Definition
describes in greater detail what ‘abuse’ means
and the varied forms such mistreatment can take. The Code
of Practice then sets out guidelines for good practice in
our everyday dealings with one another at every level of
church life, including a procedure to be followed where
abuse is found.
Definition
What
is Abuse? It is a misuse of power which leaves another person
feeling damaged – uncomfortable, or distressed, or
hurt, or confused and vulnerable, or a combination of these
things.
Mistreatment,
or abuse, of adults, as of children, takes place in situations
where unequal power and secrecy can be found. Any imbalance
of role or position can trigger it. This may be due to a
position of leadership, or appointment within the ecclesiastical
hierarchy, within natural or elected authority, or may develop
among apparently equal communities. Psychological theory
tells us that there is an ability to abuse in all of us,
although the preferred position is that we are Carers or
Rescuers, and that others are the Persecutors. An assumption
of the victim role is also inbuilt in us, though not always
activated, and fear of assuming this role can push us into
either of the other positions.
Mistreatment
or abuse may be conscious or unconscious. The latter is,
by definition, the more difficult to recognise without a
good personal awareness of self.
Abuse
can be evident between clergy and laity, non-stipendiary
and stipendiary clergy, church officials and the clergy,
church officials and members of the congregation. It can
work in different directions. It can also become a way of
behaving that is reinforced by all concerned, as they collude
in the process, lacking the knowledge or understanding which
would enable them to tackle the problem.
Abuse
and mistreatment are expressed through physical, sexual,
emotional, spiritual, or intellectual means, sometimes given
legitimacy as “working conditions”.
•
Physical abuse may be bullying, with or without actual force
being used, or angry and aggressive shouting
• Sexual abuse is the non-consensual contact, or not
totally understood contact, between two or more people,
in an act that should result only from equal adult choice
• Emotional, spiritual and intellectual abuse may
be through the misuse of theology, by exploiting such Christian
concepts as obedience and sacrifice. Lack of respect for
another’s ideas, or repudiation of suggestions without
due consideration, may both be seen as misuse of power
Awareness
of racial, cultural and gender issues, as potential areas
for mistreatment of adults, needs to be constantly monitored,
especially where people believe themselves to be free from
prejudice.
|
