Appendix C
A
Covenant for Sexual Responsibility
(For
persons other than parish & mission
vestry members, including ordained ministers)
For the purposes of
this covenant, I, the undersigned, understand that the 71st General Convention
of the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Georgia define sexual misconduct in
the following ways:
a. Sexual
Abuse - Sexual involvement or contact by one person with a minor or one who
is legally incompetent to consent.
Sexual abuse of a minor or of one who is legally incompetent to consent
is a criminal offense and must be reported to law enforcement officials as
specified in state law.
b. Sexual
Coercion - The use of force, physical, emotional or supervisory, to gain
sexual gratification.
c. Sexual
Exploitation - A betrayal of trust in a pastoral relationship by the
development, or the attempted development of a sexual or romantic relationship
between a church worker and person with whom that worker has a pastoral
relationship. Sexual exploitation
includes activities during the course of a pastoral relationship such as
intercourse, erotic kissing, touching breast or genitals, verbal suggestions of
sexual involvement, or sexually demeaning comments. The apparent consent of a possible victim to
the sexual or romantic relationship seldom determines whether there has been
sexual exploitation, because the imbalance of power between the church worker
and the person in a pastoral relationship may undermine the validity of such
consent. The fact that sexual activity
is initiated by someone other than the church worker does not relieve that
worker of responsibility, nor does it make sexual activity under those
circumstances acceptable.
d. Sexual
Harassment - includes (but is not limited to) unwelcome sexually oriented humor
or language; questions or comments about sexual behavior or preference
unrelated to employment qualifications; undesired physical contact;
inappropriate comments about clothing or physical appearance; or repeated
requests for social engagements, in a situation where there is an employment,
mentor, or colleague relationship between the persons involved.
I agree to abstain
from any sexual misconduct while I minister in any institution related to the
Diocese of Georgia, regardless of whether I work as a paid employee or
volunteer.
I understand that if I engage in such behavior I will participate in a
disciplinary process that may include termination of employment and, if
ordained, inhibition, suspension or deposition according to the Canons of the
Episcopal Church.
I acknowledge that I
have received the Diocese of Georgia's Guideline and Policies for the Health of
the Diocese of Georgia and its People in Response to the Possibility of Sexual
Misconduct, understand it, and agree to abide by it.
Have you ever been
convicted of or pleaded guilty to a crime in which a child was a victim (or had
a record relating to such a crime expunged)? Yes _________ No __________.
_______________________________________ ___________________________________
_____________________
_______________________________________ ___________________________________
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