[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 135 (Friday, August 11, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12412-S12414]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


   SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 25--RELATIVE TO THE EASTERN ORTHODOX 
                        ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE

  Ms. SNOWE (for herself, Ms. Moseley-Braun, Mr. D'Amato, and Mr. 
Sarbanes) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                            S. Con. Res. 25
       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;
       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;

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       Whereas attempts against the Ecumenical Patriarchate have 
     intensified, including the following attempts:
       (1) In July and August 1993, the Christian Orthodox 
     cemetery in Yenikoy, near Istanbul, was attacked by vandals 
     and desecrated.
       (2) 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.
       (3) On the night of March 30, 1994, 3 bombs were discovered 
     in the building where the Patriarch lives.
       (4) The Turkish press and some politicians have been 
     launching 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.
       (5) 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 is a signatory, including the Treaty of 
     Lausanne, the 1968 Protocol, the Helsinki Final Act--1975, 
     the Charter of Paris, and the United Nations Charter;
       Whereas these actions have severely compromised and 
     threatened the safety and security of the Ecumenical 
     Patriarchate and the future existence of this Orthodox 
     Institution in Turkey; and
       Whereas it is in the best interest of the United States to 
     prevent further incidents regarding the Ecumenical 
     Patriarchate, the spiritual leader of millions of American 
     citizens, 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 Senate (the House of Representatives 
     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 the 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 the Patriarchate personnel;
       (D) establish conditions that would prevent the recurrence 
     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 President should report on an annual basis to the 
     Congress regarding the status and progress of the concerns 
     expressed in paragraph (1).

 Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, today I am submitting a resolution 
concerning the fate of the Eastern Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate and 
the important of protecting its ability to carry on its vitally 
important religious mission. I am please to be joined in submitting 
this important resolution by three distinguished colleagues on both 
sides of the aisle, Senators Moseley-Braun, D'Amato, and Sarbanes.
  With over 250 million faithful worldwide, the Orthodox Church 
deserves attention and respect as one of the world's major religious. 
Its nonpolitical Patriarchate in Istanbul, however, has often been 
hampered in its mission due to a misunderstanding or hostility toward 
its religious role.
  This resolution is intended to raise awareness of the role of the 
Orthodox Patriarchate, and the importance of its receiving the 
protection necessary for it to remain a viable and respected world 
religious institution.
  Mr. President, the protection of the Ecumenical Patriarchate is an 
issue of vital international interest. The Patriarchate, which is the 
epicenter of Christian Orthodoxy, is severely hampered in its ability 
to function as the preeminent Orthodox religious institution it was 
intended to be. This has come about due to the neglect and often 
outright hostility the institution is afforded in modern-day Turkey, 
particularly among Turkish fundamentalists.
  Although the Islamic fundamentalist movement in Turkey is small, 
attempts have been made on the life of the Ecumenical Patriarch. The 
most recent incident occurred on March 30, 1994, when three bombs were 
discovered in the attic of the Patriarch's residence. On a separate 
occasion, the patriarchal complex was attacked with a Molotov cocktail, 
threatening the safety of all who worked there. There have also been 
incidents of desecration and vandalism of the Christian Orthodox 
Cemetery outside Istanbul.
  While there is no indication that the Turkish Government, or most 
Turkish people supported these acts of violence, such acts should make 
clear to the Government the need to take steps to ensure the safety of 
this holy institution and the small Christian minority that still 
resides in Istanbul.
  But the Turkish Government has taken some steps that do directly 
undermine the institution of the Patriarchate. One was Turkey's 1971 
closing of the Patriarchate's Theological School, which this year would 
have celebrated its 150-year anniversary. This action was in violation 
of a variety of treaties and human rights accords that Turkey has 
signed before and after this action. The most important of these is the 
Treaty of Lausanne, which lays out the reciprocal duties of both Greece 
and Turkey to protect the rights of the Christian and Moslem minorities 
in each others country.
  Until its abolition, hundreds of priests had been trained in the 
academy for religious service worldwide. The closing of the academy is 
a particularly serious matter for the long-term survival of the 
institution of the Patriarchate. Turkish law requires that the 
Patriarch and all other clergy in Turkey be Turkish citizens. The 
closing of the Patriarchate's Theological School now requires all 
candidates for the priesthood to be trained overseas, and many do not 
return to Turkey. As a result, there are fewer and fewer clergy in 
Turkey eligible to serve in the future as Orthodox Patriarch.
  The resolution calls for the United States to use its influence to: 
encourage the proper protection for the Patriarch and all Orthodox 
faithful residing in Turkey; work toward the reopening of the 
Patriarchal School of Theology; encourage conditions that would prevent 
recurrence of past acts of violence against the institution and 
personnel of the Ecumenical Patriarchate; and help ensure that the 
Patriarchate is free to carry out its religious mission.
  This resolution is a simple statement of the importance of religious 
freedom and human rights not only in Turkey, but for all of the world 
Christian Orthodox faithful. I am confident that the principles 
contained in the resolution are overwhelmingly supported by the 
American people, and they deserve similarly overwhelming support from 
the U.S. Senate.
 Ms. MOSELEY-BRAUN. Mr. President, I am pleased to submit this 
resolution along with my distinguished colleague from the State of 
Maine, Senator Snowe, regarding the protection and preservation of the 
Eastern Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate in Turkey.
  This sense-of-the-Senate resolution is an important statement in 
support of religious freedom. The Patriarchate is the most important 
center of the Eastern Orthodox religion. The Patriarchate is to Eastern 
Orthodoxy what the Vatican is to Catholicism. In recent years, there 
have been a number of attempted terrorist attacks against the 
Patriarchate. In one incident in the summer of 1993, the Christian 
Orthodox cemetery in Yenikoy, near Istanbul, was desecrated by vandals. 
In another incident, during the night of March 30, 1994, three bombs 
were discovered in the building where the Patriarch, His Holiness 
Bartholomew, lives. There have also been effort to convert the Church 
of Saint Sophia, one of the most sacred monuments of Greek Orthodox 
Christianity, currently used as a museum, not a mosque. This resolution 
will ensure that the Senate puts 

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its concerns for maintaining the integrity of the Patriarchate and 
religious freedom generally on the record.
  This resolution also expresses the Senate's wish to see the Halki 
Patriarchal School of Theology reopen. This institution is where 
Orthodox bishops receive their most advanced training. This school 
functioned as a center of religious training and a symbol of religious 
freedom in Istanbul throughout the Ottoman Empire. It was closed by the 
Turkish Government in 1971. The continued closure of the Halki School 
of Theology impedes the ability of the present orthodox leadership to 
train the next generation of leaders. The absence of the highest order 
of religious training endangers the continued existence of Orthodox 
institutions in Turkey.
  I want to commend the administration for its diplomatic efforts in 
this area. President Clinton has expressed his concerns about the 
Patriarchate directly to Prime Minister Ciller. Assistant Secretary 
Richard Holbrooke has visited the Patriarchate to demonstrate U.S. 
support for the institution and U.S. interest in preserving religious 
freedom. I know that the administration is fully committed to continue 
these diplomatic efforts to persuade the Government of Turkey to permit 
the reopening of the Halki Seminary, as well as other religious 
facilities throughout Turkey.
  Mr. President, I believe it is very important for the Senate to go on 
record in support of these diplomatic efforts, and in support of the 
integrity of Orthodox institutions and religious freedom in Turkey.


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