The attention of members of The Mother Church and others is called to Article VIII, Section 22, of the Manual of The Mother Church by Mary Baker Eddy, the first paragraph of which reads: "Members of this Church shall hold in sacred confidence all private communications made to them by their patients; also such information as may come to them by reason of their relation of practitioner to patient. A failure to do this shall subject the offender to Church discipline."
In accordance with the letter and spirit of this By-Law, those who are devoting part or full time to the public practice of Christian Science are obligated to protect fully all information shared with them by their patients concerning business, personal, or other affairs. They are required not to refer to the substance of such communications in conversation, in testimonies, or otherwise in any manner that might lead to its identification with the one concerned, or be harmful in any way.
This important professional rule, disobedience to which subjects members to possible discipline under the Church Manual, serves as a protection to both patient and practitioner.
