[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 146 (Monday, September 8, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E820]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                RECOGNIZING HIS ALL-HOLINESS BARTHOLOMEW

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. LLOYD DOGGETT

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 8, 2025

  Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to recognize Archbishop of 
Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch, His All-Holiness 
Bartholomew.
  Born Demetrios Arhondonis in 1940 on the island of Imvros (today, 
Gokceada, Turkey), His All-Holiness Bartholomew was elected in October 
1991 as the 270th Archbishop of the 2000-year-old Church founded by the 
Apostle Andrew. His formal office is Archbishop of Constantinople-New 
Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch, a historic title dating to the sixth 
century.
  The role of the Ecumenical Patriarch as the primary spiritual leader 
of the Orthodox Christian world and transnational figure of global 
significance has increased exponentially during the tenure of His All-
Holiness.
  He has co-sponsored international peace conferences, as well as 
meetings about racism and fundamentalism, bringing together Christians, 
Muslims and Jews for the purpose of advancing greater cooperation and 
mutual understanding. He has advanced Christian-Muslim relations in 
such places as former Yugoslavia, advocating for peace-building 
measures to diffuse global conflict in the region, while supporting 
many traditionally Orthodox countries emerging from decades of wide 
scale religious persecution and oppression behind the Iron Curtain. 
Moreover, he has initiated international meetings and theological 
conversations with Muslim and Jewish leaders to promote mutual respect 
and religious tolerance on a global level, proving a pioneer in 
interfaith encounters and traveling to Muslim countries rarely visited 
by Christian leaders.
  He has organized international, inter-faith and inter-disciplinary 
symposia and summits to address ecological problems of the world, 
earning him the title ``Green Patriarch'' and prestigious international 
awards. His efforts to promote religious freedom and human rights, his 
initiatives to advance religious tolerance among the world's religions, 
together with his work toward international peace and environmental 
protection, have justly placed him at the forefront of global 
visionaries as an apostle of love, peace and reconciliation.
  In 1997, he was awarded the Gold Medal of the United States Congress. 
The Guardian recognized him as one of the world's leaders in raising 
environmental awareness. And, in its category of Leaders and 
revolutionaries, Time Magazine named him as one of the world's most 
influential people. Now, he is being rightfully honored with the 
Templeton Prize, previously received by Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, 
and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, among others. Congratulations to 
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on this honor and I thank him for his 
life of service.

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