[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 72 (Tuesday, May 24, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3278-S3279]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

                                 ______
                                 

    SENATE RESOLUTION 196--CALLING UPON THE GOVERNMENT OF TURKEY TO 
 FACILITATE THE REOPENING OF THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE'S THEOLOGICAL 
           SCHOOL OF HALKI WITHOUT CONDITION OF FURTHER DELAY

  Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Reid of Nevada, Mrs. Shaheen, 
Mr. Whitehouse, and Mr. Menendez) submitted the following resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 196

       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;
       Whereas, in a welcome development, for the first time since 
     1922, the Government of Turkey in August 2010 allowed the 
     liturgical celebration by the Ecumenical Patriarch at the 
     historic Sumela Monastery; and
       Whereas, following a unanimous decision by the European 
     Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg in 2010, ruling that 
     Turkey return the former Greek Orphanage on Buyukada Island 
     to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, on the eve of the feast day 
     of St.

[[Page S3279]]

     Andrew observed on November 30, the Government of Turkey 
     provided lawyers representing the Ecumenical Patriarchate 
     with the formal property title for the confiscated building: 
     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) welcomes the positive gestures by the Government of 
     Turkey, including allowing allowed the liturgical celebration 
     by the Ecumenical Patriarch at the historic Sumela Monastery 
     and the return of the former Greek Orphanage on Buyukada 
     Island to the Ecumenical Patriarchate;
         (3) urges the Government of Turkey to facilitate the 
     reopening of the Ecumenical Patriarchate's Theological School 
     of Halki without condition or further delay; and
         (4) urges the Government of Turkey to address other 
     longstanding concerns relating to the Ecumenical 
     Patriarchate.

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I am pleased to be joined today by 
Senators Snowe, Reid, Shaheen, Whitehouse, and Menendez in introducing 
a 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.
  I was privileged to again meet with the Ecumenical Patriarch, 
Bartholomew I, during his 2009 visit to the United States. His 
impassioned request to those of us gathered was for our support for the 
reopening of the Theological School of Halki, forcibly closed by the 
Turkish authorities in 1971. In this year marking the 40th anniversary 
of that tragic action, I urge the Turkish leadership to reverse this 
injustice and allow this unique religious institution to reopen
  Founded in 1844, the Theological School of Halki, located outside 
modern-day Istanbul, served as the principal seminary of the Ecumenical 
Patriarchate until its forced closure. Counted among alumni of this 
preeminent educational institution are numerous prominent Orthodox 
scholars, theologians, priests, and bishops as well as patriarchs, 
including Bartholomew I. Many of these scholars and theologians have 
served as faculty at other institutions serving Orthodox communities 
around the world.
  Past indications by the Turkish authorities of pending action to 
reopen the seminary have, regrettably, failed to materialize. Turkey's 
Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, met with the Ecumenical Patriarch 
in August 2009. In an address to a wider gathering of minority 
religious leaders that day, Erdogan concluded by stating, ``We should 
not be of those who gather, talk and disperse. A result should come out 
of this.'' I could not agree more with the sentiment. But resolution of 
this longstanding matter requires resolve, not rhetoric.
  In a positive development last August, the authorities in Ankara, for 
the first time since 1922, permitted a liturgical celebration to take 
place at the historic Sumela Monastery. The Ecumenical Patriarch 
presided at that service, attended by pilgrims and religious leaders 
from several countries, including Greece and Russia. Last November, a 
Turkish court ordered the Buyukada orphanage to be returned to 
Ecumenical Patriarchate and the transfer of the property has been 
completed.
  As one who has followed issues surrounding the Ecumenical 
Patriarchate with interest for many years, I welcome these positive 
developments. My hope is that they will lead to the return of scores of 
other church properties seized by the government. In 2005, the Helsinki 
Commission, which I co-chair, convened a briefing, ``The Greek Orthodox 
Church in Turkey: A Victim of Systematic Expropriation.'' The 
Commission has consistently raised the issue of the Theological School 
for well over a decade and will continue to closely monitor related 
developments.
  The State Department's 2010 Report on International Religious Freedom 
is a reminder of the challenges faced by Orthodox and other minority 
religious communities in Turkey. I urge the Turkish Prime Minister to 
ensure respect for the rights of individuals from these groups to 
freely profess and practice their religion or beliefs, in keeping with 
Turkey's obligations as an OSCE participating State.
  The 1989 OSCE Vienna Concluding Document affirmed the right of 
religious communities to provide ``training of religious personnel in 
appropriate institutions.'' The Theological School of Halki served that 
function for over a century until its forced closure four decades ago. 
The time has come to allow the reopening of this unique institution 
without further delay.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

                          ____________________