Committee Rules

I. Order of Business

1. The general Order of Business for the Convention of Committees will be:
   • Opening
   • Invocation and Mass
   • Opening Address
   • Presentations and Addresses
   • General Discussion
   • Actions
   • Closing Address
   • Mass
   • Adjournment
2. The specific Order of Business for each Convention will be determined by the Convenor of the Committee.
3. The Order of Business will be recorded on the Committee’s Information Site which may be accessed on any Committee Members’ dataviewer.
4. The Convenor will be responsible for maintaining the Order of Business during each Convention.
5. The Convenor may move the Order of Business at his discretion, Delegates vote for a suspension of the rules to continue a particular item for a stated period.

II. Conduct of the Convention

1. The Conduct of the Convention will be the responsibility of the Convenor. The Convenor will move the Order of Business, introduce Presentations and Addresses, enter the submission of Documents and Materials, recognize members speaking in discussion, accept the proposal of actions, conduct all votes, and report the results of votes.
2. The Convenor shall enforce all time limits as specified in the Committee Rules, unless Delegates vote for a suspension of the rules to change the time limit on the item currently under consideration.
3. The Convenor may, at his discretion, set additional time limits not otherwise specified in the Committee Rules. Such limits will be enforced unless members vote for a suspension of the rules to change the time limit on the item currently under consideration.
4. The Convenor shall have sole discretion over all other matters pertaining to the Convention of the Committee.

III. Rules of Order

1. Delegates will be expected to adhere to all provisions of the Conference Constitution and the Committee Rules. Disregard of this expectation constitutes cause for suspension and review of Committee membership.
2. Members requiring translation/interpretation for verbal proceedings will notify the Conference Officers no less than ten days in advance of the convention date for which translation/interpretation is required, and the Recording Clerk will make appropriate arrangements for translation/interpretation.
3. All written materials will be provided in the original language of submission, in English and Latin translations, and in any additional translations available or provided at the time of translation. Members requiring additional translation of written materials should make their own arrangements for translation.
4. Members and Observers will refrain from applause, verbal outbursts, and other demonstrations of approval or disapproval; excepting only that formal addresses may be applauded. Those engaging in such demonstrations will be removed from the Committee for the balance of the day’s meeting.
5. No recording devices are permitted in the Committee rooms except those of the Recording Clerk assigned to the Committee.
6. Semi-formal protocol will obtain. Speakers will address the Convenor to begin all remarks, and will refer to Conference Officers, Delegates, and Advisors using titles. If unsure of a title, the speaker may use “(Delegate/Advisor) (Name) as a proper form of address.
7. The Convenor may use discretion to curtail the remarks of any member whose remarks he deems to be insulting, inflammatory, or deliberately pejorative of individuals, institutions of the Church, or Church doctrine.

IV. Presentations and Addresses

1. Requests to make presentations or to address the Committee must be submitted in advance to the Convenor. Such requests should include the subject matter of the presentation or address, the name, titles, and qualifications of the presenter or speaker, and an estimate of the time required for the presentation or address.
2. The Convenor will determine an order of Presentations and Addresses for each Convention, and will inform speakers and presenters when they are scheduled to appear in the Order of Business.
3. In making presentations or addresses to a Committee, an individual grants all rights to reproduce, distribute, and otherwise use all remarks made and materials presented; to retain copies in the Vatican Archives; and to grant access to such materials without restrictions.

V. Submission of Documents and Materials

1. Any documents or materials submitted for the consideration of the Committee members must be provided three days in advance of their date of submission under the Order of Business for the Committee, and in the precise format in which they are to be considered.
2. All documents or materials must be submitted to the Convenor of the Committee, and such submissions must state the name, titles, and qualifications of the individual submitting the material, the authorship of the material, an abstract of the subject matter, and proof that the holder of the copyrights to the material grants the Vatican Archives unrestricted rights to use, distribute, and republish the material with appropriate credits to the holder of the copyrights.
3. The Convenor of the Committee, will determine the acceptance of such materials and the order in which they will be submitted to the members in the Order of Business.

VI. Discussion

1. Discussion may occur when the Convenor announces that the Committee floor is open for discussion. The Convenor at his discretion may limit the discussion until a time certain.
2. The Convenor will determine the order of discussion, based on members tacit request to speak as indicated by activating the light in front of their microphones.
3. The Convenor may at his discretion request that a speaker suspend remarks the Convenor deems not germane to the topic under discussion.

VII. Actions

1. Committees will use Informal Procedure for the proposal of actions, unless the Convenor, at his discretion, invokes Robert’s Rules of Order.
2. Informal Procedure
   1. Proposing an item for action
      • Actions must be proposed verbally, and recorded by the Recording Clerk at the time of proposal.
      • To initiate a proposal for action, a member must make a tacit request to speak using the light in front of their microphone. Upon recognition by the Convenor, the member must state the proposed action clearly, wait while it is read back by the Recording Clerk, and reiterate their consent to the motion being proposed.
      • Members wishing to endorse the proposal may illuminate the lights in front of their microphones. Two endorsements are required for the proposal to assume the Order of Business.
3. Voting on all internal Committee matters will be by voice, unless a member requests a secret ballot, in which case the Recording Clerk will act as scrutator.
4. Voting on external matters will be limited to Delegates and will be carried out using written ballots provided by the Recording Clerk, who shall also act as scrutator. All ballot votes will be secret. In the event of a challenge, the ballots will be submitted to the Officers of the Conference acting in Committee for review.

VIII. Other Rules

1. In all areas where neither the Constitution of the Conference or the Committee Rules provide guidance, the Convenor shall have disposition.
2. Upon a request submitted in writing to the Officers of the Conference, and endorsed by two-thirds of the members of the Committee, the Officers of the Conference may petition the Proctor to review the conduct of the Convenor and, if warranted, submit a request to the Roman Pontiff to replace the Convenor of the Committee.

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