[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 6 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 6

   Concerning the protection and continued livelihood of the Eastern 
                   Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 9, 1997

 Mr. Bilirakis (for himself, Mr. Porter, Mrs. Maloney of New York, Mr. 
 Pappas, Mr. Klink, Mr. Gekas, and Mr. Engel) submitted the following 
     concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                        International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
   Concerning the protection and continued livelihood of the Eastern 
                   Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate.

Whereas in recent years there have been successive terrorist attempts to 
        desecrate and destroy the premises of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the 
        Fanar area of Istanbul (Constantinople), Turkey;
Whereas attempts against the Ecumenical Patriarchate have intensified, 
        including:
            (1) On September 30, 1996, a hand grenade was thrown into the 
        headquarters of the Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate and exploded causing 
        damage to the physical structure of the grounds, most notably the Agios 
        Georgios Church.
            (2) On May 28, 1994, three powerful bombs were discovered in the 
        living quarters of the Patriarch, and were subsequently defused only 
        minutes before they were set to detonate.
            (3) In July and August 1993, the Christian Orthodox cemetery in 
        Yenikoy, near Istanbul, was attacked by vandals and desecrated.
            (4) There has been a concerted effort throughout Turkey to convert 
        the Church of Hagia (Saint) Sophia, one of the most sacred monuments of 
        Greek Orthodox Christianity and currently used as a museum, into a 
        mosque.
            (5) The Turkish press and some politicians have launched a well-
        orchestrated campaign against the Ecumenical Patriarchate, accusing it 
        of trying to become an independent state or wishing to revive the 
        Byzantine Empire. These accusations resulted in provoking dangerous 
        reactions among the Moslem population in Turkey against the Ecumenical 
        Patriarchate.
            (6) Negative statements have been directed toward the Patriarchate 
        by the Mayor of the Fatih District of Istanbul.
Whereas His All Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew and those associated with the 
        Ecumenical Patriarchate are Turkish citizens and thus must be protected 
        under Turkish law against blatant and unprovoked attacks toward ethnic 
        minorities;
Whereas the Turkish Government arbitrarily closed the Halki Patriarchal School 
        of Theology in 1971;
Whereas the closing of the Halki School of Theology is a serious concern for the 
        Ecumenical Patriarchate;
Whereas Turkish law requires that the Patriarch, as well as all the clergy, 
        faculty, and students be citizens of Turkey, and the Halki School of 
        Theology is the only educational institution for Orthodox Christian 
        leadership;
Whereas the unimpeded continued provocations against the Ecumenical Patriarchate 
        and the closing of the Halki School of Theology are in violation of 
        International Treaties to which Turkey has been a signatory, including 
        the Treaty of Lausanne, the 1968 Protocol, the Helsinki Final Act-1975, 
        and the Charter of Paris;
Whereas these consequences have severely compromised and threatened the safety 
        and security of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the future existence of 
        this Orthodox Institution in Turkey;
Whereas the Ecumenical Patriarchate is the spiritual center for more than 
        250,000,000 Orthodox Christians worldwide, including approximately 
        5,000,000 in the United States; and
Whereas it is in the best interest of the United States to prevent further 
        incidents regarding the Ecumenical Patriarchate and in the overall goals 
        of the United States to establish peaceful relations with and among the 
        many important nations of the world that have substantial Orthodox 
        Christian populations: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of the Congress that--
            (1) the United States should use its influence with the 
        Turkish Government and as a permanent member of the United 
        Nations Security Council to suggest that the Turkish 
        Government--
                    (A) ensure proper protection for the Patriarchate 
                and all Orthodox faithful residing in Turkey;
                    (B) assure that positive steps are taken to reopen 
                the Halki Patriarchal School of Theology;
                    (C) provide for the proper protection and safety of 
                the Ecumenical Patriarch and Patriarchate personnel;
                    (D) establish conditions that would prevent the 
                reccurence of past terrorist activities and vandalism 
                and other personal threats against the Patriarch;
                    (E) establish conditions to ensure that the 
                Patriarchate is free to carry out its religious 
                mission; and
                    (F) do everything possible to find and punish the 
                perpetrators of any provocative and terrorist acts 
                against the Patriarchate.
            (2) The Administration should report to the Congress on the 
        status and progress of the concerns in paragraph (1) on an 
        annual basis.
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