31.   The agreement, hammered out at a three-day meeting that ended Thursday, has to be ratified by signatories before it becomes legally binding.

32.   The committee statement must be approved by parliament before it becomes binding.

33.   The policy needs Vatican approval to become binding.

34.   Twenty signatures are required for the convention to become binding.

35.   Under WTO rules, the EU can appeal against the final decision once, but if that appeal is rejected the finding becomes binding.

36.   Under international law, sixteen of the signatory states must ratify the protocol through their national assemblies for it to become legally binding.

37.   Church officials said that if the Vatican accepted a vote in favor of zero-tolerance from the June conference, it would become binding on every US diocese.