CODE OF CONDUCT FOR BISHOPS, PRIESTS, DEACONS, SUBDEACONS, AND ALL CLERGY

The following is a basic Code of Conduct for bishops, priests, deacons, subdeacons, and all clergy of the Italo-Greek Byzantine Orthodox Catholic Church. This document must be signed and acknowledged by all who serve within the Church. Compliance with this Code of Conduct rests with the Metropolitan and the Standing Commission for Ethics and Integrity in Ministry. This Code of Conduct also applies to ordained Subdeacons as well.

1. You shall not make yourself a god to the people that you serve.
2. You shall not present yourself as perfect, faultless, or above questioning or doubt.
3. You shall not allow or encourage the faithful to adore you or have an exalted or unrealistic opinion of you. You shall not encourage, promote, or sustain a cult of personality.
4. You shall not replace God as Father to His children. You shall be a father to them in His Name.
5. You shall not allow anyone to flatter you and mold your opinion of yourself above your actual capacity to supernaturally and naturally function in the office of ministry and service which you hold.
6. You shall maintain and present to others a realistic view of yourself at all times; you shall not be other than who you are: a sinner in need of forgiveness, mercy, and compassion.
7. You shall not vainly or with pride call yourself by an ecclesiastical title even if others are willing to call you by that name. Remember that Christ, who is the Creator of all that is seen and unseen and who is the King of Kings, washed the feet of His disciples as an act of service and humility. You are nothing more than a servant.
8. You shall bear the titles granted to you by Holy Mother Church with humility, grace, and a true sense of unworthiness, remembering always that earthly titles are meant to inure to the good order, discipline, and administration of Christ’s Commonwealth on earth and ultimately give glory to God.
9. You shall not be encouraged to self-exaltation through the self-righteous example of others.
10. You shall not use self-serving logic to avoid humbling yourself before God and before His people.
11. You shall take a humble posture before God and His people and empty yourself of glory as did our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ. Humility and the joy of service shall be your life.
12. You shall not require unquestioning loyalty from God’s people; you shall encourage their loyalty to God by the example of your daily living.
13. You shall give yourself freely in service to God’s people, expecting nothing but their prayers and working hard to earn their love and respect.
14. You shall not calculate or presume in advance the capacity of the faithful to give to you financially before serving them. You shall never expect or require any financial recompense for the ministry and ministrations you provide. As God provides for the sparrow and the deer, so shall He provide for you. As God loves you freely without cost or expectation of reciprocation, so shall you love His people.
15. You shall not resort to pragmatic techniques to increase offerings; you shall not become a hireling.
16. You shall act always as an ordained and consecrated minister of the Sacraments, of the Word, and of the Great Church of Christ, remembering always that there is no secular job or profession which is comparable or equal to the sacred and holy ministry which has been entrusted to you by Christ in His Name.
17. You shall not hide your humble origins and humble circumstances in ministry and seek to be known among the great and mighty; you shall not be a spiritual social climber.
18. You shall not be an ecclesiastical climber, seeking higher offices and positions. You shall not establish relationships with people of authority in the Church for the sake of gaining promotion to a higher office or better benefice, for this is the sin of sacrilege, blasphemy, and simony.
19. You shall not hide your past, even those dark moments which bring you shame, embarrassment, and regret if you are confronted with it by another; you shall deal honestly and openly with such matters, remembering that your past does not define you or your future, it merely shapes you and helps you grow in humility, righteousness, and holiness.
20. You shall not walk in the way of least resistance for the honor of men.
21. You shall not purchase a theological degree or otherwise illegitimately obtain one for the purpose of impressing others; but shall earn one by legitimate and disciplined theological study.
22. You shall remember the humble details of the season of your salvation.
23. You shall not forget the day of grace and the mercy of Christ that saved you.
24. You shall always appear before the people of God in attire appropriate to your sacred office and rank. You shall not abandon the cassock, riassa, or other clerical attire in favor of attire that is intended to make you seem more approachable or relevant.
25. You shall learn to rest in your Savior Jesus Christ about your calling and your ministry and not seek to fulfill your destiny by controlling other people.
26. You shall function in your present grace and not seek to function in a prophesied future grace.
27. You shall not use the darkened wisdom of the world to control and manipulate others.
28. You shall not use intrigues and scheming to harm others.
29. You shall not pit the people of God against each other nor seek to create division in the Church by engaging in gossip, false testimony, the spreading of lies, or other conduct foreign to the Christian life; our God is a jealous God and will deal with you severely if you dare to lead His people into sin or cause scandal among them.
30. You shall not create cliques, promote personal agendas or ideas, or encourage such behavior among the faithful; you place your soul in the gravest of danger by sowing discord among God’s people.
31. You shall not create a police force or a network of spies in the Church to enforce standards, impose your will upon the people, intimidate them, or inform on others.
32. You shall walk in innocence and integrity in all your ways no matter what the outcome may be.
33. You shall not have two standards of conduct. You shall not have a hidden or secret standard that allows for the carnal appetites of leaders and a public standard that encourages righteousness. You shall not practice hypocrisy nor encourage or tolerate it among your brothers in ministry.
34. You shall not interfere with or weaken the marriages of the faithful by usurping the covering authority of husbands and fathers by exalting your fatherly authority, which is given to you by God and which you exercise on His behalf, over the families of His people.
35. You shall not harm the little ones of the Church or the vulnerable of the Church, but you shall strive to protect them and keep them safe from all harm.
36. You shall not be the cause of hurt or pain to God’s little ones or cause them to sin; it would be better for you to be thrown into the sea with a millstone around your neck.
37. You shall not compete in ministry for the allegiance of the faithful; you shall work in harmony with each other for the building up of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
38. You shall not separate yourself from your bishop and you shall acknowledge him among you who is the first among equals.
39. You shall be obedient, loyal, and faithful to your ecclesiastical superior.
40. Deacons and subdeacons shall honor and obey both their Bishop and their parish priest. Priests shall honor and obey their Bishop.
41. Priests, deacons, and subdeacons shall remember always that they serve in their ministry at the pleasure of their Bishop. You will not set aside your responsibility and obligation of service to God's people. His Church, and to one another.
42. Bishops shall honor and revere their priests, deacons, and subdeacons as their sons; treating them always with paternal love, encouragement, and apostolic charity.
43. Bishops shall be of one mind with their brother Bishops in all things. Bishops, priests, and deacons, as well as subdeacons, who dare to teach or speak even one thing that is in opposition to the perennial teachings of Christ and His Church separate themselves automatically from the sacred office into which they have been ordained and consecrated.
44. You shall not build buildings and think that this is building the Church; you shall focus on the numerous lost and build where others have not built and plant where others have not planted.
45. You shall expand the Kingdom of God on earth and not just rearrange it for your own purposes.
46. You shall be a blessing and not a curse to those whom you have been sent to serve.
47. You shall celebrate the divine services of the Church faithfully and in accordance with and in compliance with the established Typicon of the Italo-Greek Byzantine Orthodox Catholic Church, the provisions of Canon Law, and the decrees of the rightful diocesan hierarchical authority.
48. You shall celebrate the Divine Liturgy on the Lord’s Day, Holy Days of Obligation, and on all major feast days of the Church. You shall celebrate also either the All-Night Vigil or Great Vespers on the eve of the Lord’s Day, the eves of Holy days of Obligation, and the eves of all major feast days of the Church.
49. You shall ensure that the other Holy Mysteries of the Church, especially those of Confession and Anointing are easily and readily accessible to the faithful, especially when emergency situations require.
50. You shall observe faithfully the prescribed fasts of the Church, and you shall encourage the faithful of the Church in this pious and noble spiritual and ascetic work by your own humble example.
51. You shall not absent yourself from your parish for more than six weeks per year, and no more than three weeks at a time, except in case of real necessity and with the consent of your bishop. In the case of bishops, with the consent of the Metropolitan. In the case of the Metropolit, with the consent of the Archbishop.
52. You shall be a person of prayer. Bishops, priests, deacons, and subdeacons shall read the Liturgy of the Hours every day. If possible, clergy should endeavor to gather together to pray the Divine Office as a group.
53. You shall not smoke cigarettes; this includes the contemporary practice known as “vaping.” Priests and deacons may smoke a cigar or pipe but are not permitted to do so in public or in the company of the faithful. Bishops may not smoke at all.
54. You shall live your life in a manner worthy of God’s blessing and the respect and love of the faithful and of all the people of God.
55. You shall go to confession at least once a month.
56. You may not frequent bars or clubs. If you go to a restaurant that has a bar, you may not sit or stand at the bar.
57. Your conduct and behavior in public, whether in or out of a cassock, must always be above reproach and never be a source of scandal to the Church or the faithful.
58. You will remember at all times that you act "in persona Christi" (in the person of Christ), therefore, your words, deeds, and life must always reflect Christ, Who is your Master, Redeemer, Savior, and Lord.