SECTION 1. Title IV of General Canons. Those provisions of Tile IV of the General Canons which are applicable to the Diocese are hereby incorporated as part of this Title. To the extent, if any, that any of the provisions of this Title are in conflict or inconsistent with the provisions of Title IV, the provisions of Title IV shall govern.
SECTION 2. Intake and Referral of Information Regarding Offenses.
SECTION 2.01. Canon 6. Canon 6 of Title IV of the General Canons is incorporated herein in extenso.
CANON 6. Of Intake and Referral of Information Concerning Offenses.
Section 1. Each Diocese shall provide for and publicize methods and means of reporting information concerning Offenses.
Section 2. Information concerning Offenses may be submitted to the Intake Officer in any manner and in any form.
Section 3. Any person other than the Intake Officer who receives information regarding an Offense shall promptly forward the information to the Intake Officer. A Bishop Diocesan may forward information to the Intake Officer whenever the Bishop Diocesan believes that the information may indicate conduct constituting one or more Offenses.
Section 4. Upon receipt of such information, the Intake Officer may make such preliminary investigation as he or she deems necessary, and shall incorporate the information into a written intake report, including as much specificity as possible. The Intake Officer shall provide copies of the intake report to the other members of the Reference Panel and to the Church Attorney.
Section 5. If the Intake Officer determines that the information, if true, would not constitute an Offense, the Intake Officer shall inform the Bishop Diocesan of an intention to dismiss the matter. If the Bishop Diocesan does not object, the Intake Officer shall dismiss the matter. The Intake Officer shall provide written notice to the Complainant and the Bishop Diocesan of the decision of dismissal, the reasons therefor, and the Complainant's right to appeal the decision within thirty days of the date of the notice and shall send a copy of that notice and the written intake report to the president of the Disciplinary Board. If the Complainant wishes to appeal the dismissal, the Intake Officer shall assist the Complainant in preparing and signing a written statement of the acts complained of, which statement shall be sent to the president of the Disciplinary Board along with a statement that the Complainant appeals the dismissal. The intake report and any related information, in the case of a dismissal, may be retained by the Intake Officer and considered in connection with any additional information that may come to the Intake Officer thereafter concerning the subject Member of the Clergy.
Section 6. In the event of an appeal of a dismissal, the president of the Disciplinary Board shall, within thirty days of the receipt of the appeal, review the intake report and either affirm or overrule the dismissal. The president shall promptly notify the Complainant, the Intake Officer, and the Bishop Diocesan of the decision. If the decision is to overrule the dismissal, the president shall refer the intake report to the Reference Panel.
Section 7. If the Intake Officer determines that the information, if true, would constitute an Offense, the Intake Officer shall promptly forward the intake report to the Reference Panel. The president shall promptly select from the Disciplinary Board, by lot or by other random means, a Conference Panel and a Hearing Panel, and shall designate a president of each Panel. A Conference Panel may consist of one or more persons. A Hearing Panel shall consist of not less than three persons and shall include both clergy and lay members. The president shall be ineligible to serve on either Panel.
Section 8. The Reference Panel shall meet as soon as possible after receiving the intake report to determine how to refer the report. Referral options are
(a) no action required other than appropriate pastoral response pursuant to Canon IV.8;
(b) conciliation pursuant to Canon IV.10;
(c) investigation pursuant to Canon IV.11 or
(d) referral for possible agreement with the Bishop Diocesan regarding terms of discipline pursuant to Canon IV.9.
Referral decisions shall require the approval of a majority of the Reference Panel.
Section 9. If the determination of the Reference Panel is to take no action other than an appropriate pastoral response, the Panel shall notify the Complainant and the subject Member of the Clergy of the determination and the basis for the determination to take no action other than an appropriate pastoral response. If the referral is to conciliation, the provisions of Canon IV.10 shall apply. If the referral is to investigation, the provisions of Canon IV.11 shall apply.
Section 10. All communications and deliberations during the intake and referral stages shall be confidential except as the Bishop Diocesan deems to be pastorally appropriate or as required by law.