Floor Eve

Well, it's been quite the day and developments are shaking out all over the place... but for now, suffice it to say that this plenary's public discussion on political support for abortion -- yes, it's back on -- will take place on Tuesday morning.

Not first thing, however -- as they did before the overwhelming passage of Faithful Citizenship last year, the bishops will begin their plenary's second day with a closed-door executive session (presumably to hear each other out with the greatest possible candor) before going public from mid-morning onward. No make-up time in open session has been indicated; as previously noted, the bench will meet behind closed doors both Wednesday and Thursday.

What's more, it's being said that the conference's support for ACORN -- the community organization whose work was partly funded by the USCCB's Catholic Campaign for Human Development -- might just be included in the discussion. Given suspicions -- fueled by campaign news-coverage -- that the group's voter-registration efforts favored the Democratic ticket, the non-profit's CCHD support is currently under study by conference-hired forensic accountants.

Lastly, and gratefully, they've moved the daily concelebrated Mass into the early evening after close of business; seems your narrator wasn't the only one who thought 7.30am just too early for full, active and conscious participation. Good thing.

It all begins at 9am Eastern... see you then.

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