[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 124 (Wednesday, September 17, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H7453-H7454]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AUTHORIZING CONGRESS TO AWARD CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL TO ECUMENICAL
PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW
Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on
Banking and Financial Services be discharged from further consideration
of the bill, H.R. 2248, to authorize the President to award a gold
medal on behalf of the Congress to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in
recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions toward
religious understanding and peace, and for other purposes, and ask for
its immediate consideration in the House.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Iowa?
Mr. LaFALCE. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, I do so for
the purposes of an explanation.
Mr. LEACH. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. LaFALCE. I yield to the gentleman from Iowa.
Mr. LEACH. Under the gentleman's reservation, Mr. Speaker, in
response, let me state that H.R. 2248 was introduced by myself, the
gentleman from Texas [Mr. Gonzalez], the gentleman from New York [Mr.
LaFalce], the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Bilirakis], and the gentleman
from Illinois [Mr. Rush], and is cosponsored by 327 Members. It
authorizes President Clinton to present Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew a gold medal on behalf of Congress in recognition of his
enduring contributions towards religious understanding and peace.
Yesterday the House passed House Concurrent Resolution 134,
introduced by the distinguished gentleman from Florida [Mr. Bilirakis],
to authorize the use of the Capitol Rotunda for a congressional
ceremony honoring the Patriarch Bartholomew later this month.
Patriarch Bartholomew is the spiritual leader of nearly 300 million
Orthodox Christians around the world. Through his ministry he has
devoted his life to world peace, religious understanding, and
protecting the global environment. Patriarch Bartholomew's first visit
to our country as Patriarch will provide an opportunity for him to meet
with many Americans who comprise the more than 5 million Orthodox
Christians in the United States, and to convey his message of
reconciliation to citizens of all faiths. Patriarch Bartholomew has
been formally recognized for his outstanding achievements by numerous
governments and academic institutions around the world.
At this time I ask for the support of this House in awarding the
Patriarch a gold medal on behalf of the U.S. Congress and the citizens
of the United States. This will be a fitting symbol of our appreciation
for his admirable work towards world peace, and I urge my colleagues on
a bipartisan basis to support this legislation.
Mr. LaFALCE. Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I
want to point out that I am very, very proud to be a cosponsor of this
bill, H.R. 2248, as I was of House Concurrent Resolution 134 yesterday,
sponsored by the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Bilirakis.]
The gentleman from Florida, myself, and a number of others, the
gentleman from New Jersey, [Mr. Michael Pappas], the gentleman from
Pennsylvania, [Mr. Ron Klink], the gentleman from Colorado, [Mr. Dan
Schaefer], and the gentleman from California, [Mr. Duke Cunningham]
recently went to Greece in the last week in August. We know how proud
the people of Greece are of their Patriarch Bartholomew, but not just
the people of Greece, the 300 million Orthodox Christians across the
entire globe.
The people of Greece are also proud of so many other things going on
in their country presently, and in the years to come. They rejoiced and
sang and danced in the streets of Athens, Salonika when the decision
was made to award Athens as the site for the Olympics in the year 2004.
{time} 1415
It is most fitting, most appropriate, that the Congress award a gold
medal to Patriarch Bartholomew and President Clinton present that medal
to him.
Mr. RUSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2248,
to authorize President Clinton to present his all Holiness Ecumenical
Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople with a congressional gold medal
to honor his leadership in promoting world peace and interfaith
understanding.
Patriarch Bartholomew has promoted peace in the war torn countries of
the Balkans, helping to advance reconciliation among the Catholic,
Muslim, and Orthodox communities. He has been a leader in defense of
human rights worldwide, in promoting global environmental protection
and in strengthening interfaith relations.
Patriarch Bartholomew has been a champion of religious unity and
cooperation, encouraging interfaith dialogue between the Orthodox
Church, the Roman Catholic Church, leading Protestant denominations and
Muslim leaders. He has also sought to strengthen bonds between Judaism
and Orthodox Christianity. In 1994 he worked with Rabbi David Schneier
and the Appeal of Conscience Foundation to cosponsor the Peace and
Tolerance Conference.
He has been a dynamic leader in efforts to ease Greek-Turkish
tensions and to promote international cooperation and adherence to
international law. He also cares deeply about
[[Page H7454]]
the environmental legacy we will leave our children, cosponsoring an
annual conference devoted to the protection of the environment.
I am honored to be a co-sponsor of this bill. Patriarch Bartholomew
is truly an outstanding world leader whose dedication to promoting
religious tolerance and unity is an inspiration to all of us.
Mr. LaFALCE. Mr. Speaker, with those remarks, I join with the
distinguished chairman of the Committee on Banking and Financial
Services, the gentleman from Iowa [Mr. Leach] and I withdraw my
reservation of objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore [Mr. LaHood]. Is there objection to the
request of the gentleman from Iowa?
There was no objection.
The Clerk read the bill, as follows:
H.R. 2248
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds that--
(1) Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew--
(A) is the spiritual leader of nearly 300 million Orthodox
Christians around the world and millions of Orthodox
Christians in America; and
(B) is recognized in the United States and abroad as a
leader in the quest for world peace, respect for the earth's
environment, and greater religious understanding;
(2) the extraordinary efforts of Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew continue to bring people of all faiths closer
together in America and around the world;
(3) the courageous leadership of Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew for peace in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, the
Middle East, the Eastern Mediterranean, and elsewhere
inspires and encourages people of all faiths toward his dream
of world peace in the new millennium; and
(4) the outstanding accomplishments of Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew have been formally recognized and honored by
numerous governmental, academic, and other institutions
around the world.
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
(a) Presentation Authorized.--The President is authorized
to present, on behalf of the Congress, a gold medal of
appropriate design to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in
recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to
religious understanding and peace.
(b) Design and Striking.--For the purpose of the
presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of
the Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the
``Secretary'') shall strike a gold medal with suitable
emblems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the
Secretary.
SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
The Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in bronze of
the gold medal struck pursuant to section 2 under such
regulations as the Secretary may prescribe, and at a price
sufficient to cover the costs thereof, including labor,
materials, dies, use of machinery, overhead expenses, and the
cost of the gold medal.
SEC. 4. NATIONAL MEDALS.
The medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals
for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.
(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is hereby
authorized to be charged against the Numismatic Public
Enterprise Fund an amount not to exceed $30,000 to pay for
the cost of the medal authorized by this Act.
(b) Proceeds of Sale.--Amounts received from the sales of
duplicate bronze medals under section 3 shall be deposited in
the Numismatic Public Enterprise Fund.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read
the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the
table.
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