I explained yesterday that proposals from each of the 39 Small Groups are fed into 5 language groups, populated by the rapporteur from each Small Group, which in turn decides which topics seem the most important. One (poor) rapporteur is voted by each language groups to represent them in a further meeting, with the General Secretariat, to make the final decision about the topics, now formulated as questions, which best represent the thoughts of the 370 Synod members. Not an easy task! 7 or 8 questions are then emailed to each member to mull over.
Next day every member votes for what he or she thinks is the most important question to discuss. We are then told the order of preferences. During the Plenary Assembly the top 4 questions will be discussed, beginning with the question which received the most votes. This question will also have the most time allocated with the second question following but with a bit less time and so on. The final period is for free interventions on topics which did not make ‘the cut’. Members can speak for 3 minutes with silence after every 4 speakers.
After the third Plenary the Small Group again meets to discuss what they have learnt from listening to the entire assembly. We then pen our written report, maximum of 2 pages, which must contain concrete proposals, vote that it is an accurate record and then the rapporteur submits it to the General Secretariat. We then lie down in a quiet, dark room before beginning the whole process again for the next module! Meanwhile the theologians and writers begin reading our submissions to pull themes together in preparation for drafting the Final Report.
+Brian
Tomorrow, Friday, there will be an Ecumenical Service at 6pm which can be watched live on Vatican Media.

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