[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 356 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 356

 Calling upon the Government of Turkey to facilitate the reopening of 
   the Ecumenical Patriarchate's Theological School of Halki without 
                      condition or further delay.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 19, 2009

  Mr. Cardin (for himself, Mr. Brownback, Mr. Reid, Mrs. Shaheen, Ms. 
Snowe, and Mr. Menendez) submitted the following resolution; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Calling upon the Government of Turkey to facilitate the reopening of 
   the Ecumenical Patriarchate's Theological School of Halki without 
                      condition or further delay.

Whereas the Ecumenical Patriarchate is an institution with a history spanning 17 
        centuries, serving as the center of the Orthodox Christian Church 
        throughout the world;
Whereas the Ecumenical Patriarchate sits at the crossroads of East and West, 
        offering a unique perspective on the religions and cultures of the 
        world;
Whereas the title of Ecumenical Patriarch was formally accorded to the 
        Archbishop of Constantinople by a synod convened in Constantinople 
        during the sixth century;
Whereas since November 1991, His All Holiness, Bartholomew I, has served as 
        Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch;
Whereas Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I was awarded the Congressional Gold 
        Medal in 1997, in recognition of his outstanding and enduring 
        contributions toward religious understanding and peace;
Whereas during the 110th Congress, 75 Senators and the overwhelming majority of 
        members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
        Representatives wrote to President George W. Bush and the Prime Minister 
        of Turkey to express congressional concern, which continues today, 
        regarding the absence of religious freedom for Ecumenical Patriarch 
        Bartholomew I in the areas of church-controlled Patriarchal succession, 
        the confiscation of the vast majority of Patriarchal properties, 
        recognition of the international Ecumenicity of the Patriarchate, and 
        the reopening of the Theological School of Halki;
Whereas the Theological School of Halki, founded in 1844 and located outside 
        Istanbul, Turkey, served as the principal seminary for the Ecumenical 
        Patriarchate until its forcible closure by the Turkish authorities in 
        1971;
Whereas the alumni of this preeminent educational institution include numerous 
        prominent Orthodox scholars, theologians, priests, bishops, and 
        patriarchs, including Bartholomew I;
Whereas the Republic of Turkey has been a participating state of the 
        Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) since signing 
        the Helsinki Final Act in 1975;
Whereas in 1989, the OSCE participating states adopted the Vienna Concluding 
        Document, committing to respect the right of religious communities to 
        provide ``training of religious personnel in appropriate institutions'';
Whereas the continued closure of the Ecumenical Patriarchate's Theological 
        School of Halki has been an ongoing issue of concern for the American 
        people and the United States Congress and has been repeatedly raised by 
        members of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe and by 
        United States delegations to the OSCE's annual Human Dimension 
        Implementation Meeting;
Whereas in his address to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on April 6, 
        2009, President Barack Obama said, ``Freedom of religion and expression 
        lead to a strong and vibrant civil society that only strengthens the 
        state, which is why steps like reopening Halki Seminary will send such 
        an important signal inside Turkey and beyond.'';
Whereas in a welcomed development, the Prime Minister of Turkey, Recep Tayyip 
        Erdogan, met with the Ecumenical Patriarch on August 15, 2009, and, in 
        an address to a wider gathering of minority religious leaders that day, 
        concluded by stating, ``We should not be of those who gather, talk, and 
        disperse. A result should come out of this.'';
Whereas during his visit to the United States in November 2009, Ecumenical 
        Patriarch Bartholomew I raised the issue of the continued closure of the 
        Theological School of Halki with President Obama, congressional leaders, 
        and others; and
Whereas Prime Minister Erdogan is scheduled to make an official visit to 
        Washington, DC, in early December 2009: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) welcomes the historic meeting between Prime Minister 
        Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I;
            (2) urges the Government of Turkey to facilitate the 
        reopening of the Ecumenical Patriarchate's Theological School 
        of Halki without condition or further delay; and
            (3) urges the Government of Turkey to address other 
        longstanding concerns relating to the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
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