[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 150 (Monday, September 15, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H4307-H4308]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH, H.H. BARTHOLOMEW I

  (Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2025, Mr. 
Bilirakis of Florida was recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of 
the majority leader.)


                             General Leave

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the subject of this Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shreve). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentlewoman from 
Virginia. Well said this evening. I appreciate the gentlewoman's kind 
words.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today not only as co-chair of the Congressional 
Caucus on International Religious Freedom and the Hellenic Caucus, but, 
more importantly, as an Orthodox Christian. I am here to honor and 
welcome His Holiness Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, New 
Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch, who is visiting the United States this 
week.
  This visit is a huge blessing for the Orthodox family in the United 
States, Mr. Speaker. Not only is His All Holiness a great spiritual 
leader, but he is also an unparalleled ambassador for peace, interfaith 
dialogue, and religious freedom. As we honor him today for a lifetime 
of achievements, Mr. Speaker, I think of his legacy in three words: 
faith, peace, and endurance.
  First, faith; His All Holiness has led millions of the faithful in 
the global Orthodox church for more than 34 years, conscientiously 
carrying the legacy of Saint Andrew the Apostle and upholding the 
2,000-year-old traditions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of 
Constantinople, the Holy See for over 300 million Orthodox faithful 
worldwide.
  His leadership of the Eastern Orthodox community has impacted and 
will continue to impact this ancient church and doctrine for centuries 
to come.
  However, his role extends far beyond the Orthodox church, which 
brings me to the second point, peace. Throughout his selfless service, 
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has been at the forefront of 
interreligious dialogue, setting the stage for a more peaceful and 
cohesive world. He has a record of reaching out and working for peace 
and reconciliation amongst all faiths and has fostered dialogue among 
Christians, Jews, and Muslims.
  Just last month, Mr. Speaker, he hosted the annual Religions for 
Peace World Council, bringing together leaders of diverse faiths to 
address global challenges.
  His All Holiness' leadership in these groundbreaking conventions has 
not only been about theology, but to engage faith with humanity's most 
pressing challenges.
  From his historic visit to the Korean Demilitarized Zone in 2018 to 
his current efforts promoting coexistence in the Middle East, His All 
Holiness' pursuit of global peace in the world's most challenging 
conflicts has truly touched the lives and hearts of millions.
  In fact, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew received, on his first 
official visit to the United States in 1997, the Congressional Gold 
Medal presented by my father, Michael Bilirakis, and many, many others. 
It was presented by the United States on behalf of the Congress in 
recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to religious 
understanding and peace and was recognized by the United States in a 
manner reserved for a very small number of world leaders, as you know, 
Mr. Speaker, leaders such as George Washington, Winston Churchill, and 
Pope John Paul II.
  Most dear to my heart, however, is his life of enduring advocacy for 
his persecuted church, as well as other oppressed religious minorities.

                              {time}  2020

  Recently, when the Egyptian Government confiscated the holy Saint 
Catherine's Monastery in Sinai, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew stood 
as defender of Christian heritage. This monastery is not just a Greek 
Orthodox treasure but an ancient house to Christianity's most valued 
heritage, including the sacred tree, the Burning Bush, where our God 
revealed himself to Moses.
  For months now, Mr. Speaker, His All Holiness has led a global 
movement demanding that the Egyptian Government honor this heritage and 
protect the autonomy of the monastic community in Sinai. For those of 
us in Congress who have worked to preserve the monastery's independence 
and existence, his advocacy is a source of inspiration.
  His All Holiness' mission to protect the Christian community and its 
heritage in Turkiye is just another example of his noble pursuit. In 
the last hundred years, the Turkish state has systemically exploited 
its Christian communities unfortunately, reducing them from 20 percent 
of the population to a mere 2 percent.
  To this day, the Turkish Government refuses to recognize His All 
Holiness' ecumenical jurisdiction, stripping him of the universal title 
that is acknowledged by more than 300 million faithful across the 
globe.
  Mr. Speaker, His All Holiness has endured in silence discrimination 
under Erdogan's regime. This body must insist that Turkiye eliminate 
all forms of discrimination, particularly discrimination based on race 
or religion, grant the Ecumenical Patriarchate appropriate recognition 
and ecclesiastic succession, grant the Ecumenical Patriarchate the 
right to train clergy of all nationalities, not just Turkish nationals, 
by reopening the famed and beautiful Theological School at Halki, which 
I visited in 2019 with my beautiful wife.
  Turkiye must absolutely reopen the jewel of Christendom, the Hagia 
Sophia, Church of the Holy Wisdom of God, as a church, not a mosque. 
The Hagia Sophia was the world's largest cathedral for nearly 1,000 
years. It served as a center for all Christians until the Ottoman 
invasion in 1453, which saw the collapse of Constantinople as well as 
the church.
  For decades, it had been converted to a museum and has been a UNESCO 
Heritage site until Erdogan illegally converted it into a mosque 5 
years ago.
  I could go on and on, Mr. Speaker, about the persecution His All 
Holiness and the Ecumenical Patriarchate has faced under Erdogan's 
rule. It is maddening, as far as I am concerned.
  But Ankara's violations go far beyond just Christian communities. 
Just over the summer, Mr. Speaker, the government authorities in 
Istanbul arrested 41 Muslim women, including 15 minor girls, solely 
based on their religious expression.
  As the Turkish Government converts ancient churches to mosques, 
intimidates clergy, and displaces religious and ethnic minorities, His 
All Holiness has continued to peacefully advocate for the voiceless, 
which is why I take this occasion to call on the U.S. Commission on 
International Religious Freedom to designate Turkiye as a country of 
particular concern under U.S. law.
  It is incumbent upon us to recognize His All Holiness as a living 
testament for Turkiye's explicit mission to erase its native Christian 
community and to respond to such cynical plans with the seriousness 
they deserve.
  As we honor His All Holiness today, let us not only celebrate his 
faithfulness and mission of peace but commit

[[Page H4308]]

ourselves to defending the rights of his church and the protection of 
all persecuted religious minorities.
  The timing of the Ecumenical Patriarch's visit could not be more 
ideal as America is grieving the loss of a true warrior of God, Charlie 
Kirk, who through his death has shown all of us that we must be 
defenders of our faith, even if that puts us in danger. I am going to 
say it again. We must be defenders of our faith, even if it puts us in 
danger.
  We have to be a voice for the voiceless. We must be convicted and 
stay the course so that our faith is not extinguished by bad actors.
  To honor both His All Holiness and America's martyr, Charlie Kirk, is 
to take up their cause, the cause of religious freedom, the cause of 
peaceful coexistence, and the cause of standing up to those who oppress 
others.
  I wish my friend and my spiritual father, Ecumenical Patriarch, a 
safe and fruitful visit as he inspires not only the Orthodox faithful 
but all who love peace, understanding, and humanity.
  May God bless His All Holiness, our Patriarchate in Constantinople, 
now Istanbul, our beautiful 2,000-year old faith and Orthodox Church.
  May God bless the United States of America.
  I also wanted to say that Archbishop Iakovos stood with Martin Luther 
King and marched at Selma. He was called by Martin Luther King. It is 
depicted in the movie, Mr. Speaker, ``Selma.'' He was called by Martin 
Luther King. He showed up for the march. Martin Luther King apparently 
told him: Wow, I am surprised--something to that effect. He said his 
final words were, before the march: You called, and I came.
  We must stand up to racism. We must stand up to any form of 
discrimination, in this case religious freedom.
  I appreciate all of you. I know there are others that will speak at a 
later time, but I want to welcome this wonderful individual who visited 
the White House today with President Trump, just an outstanding person 
and a wonderful role model for all of us.
  Mr. Speaker, God bless you and God bless America.

                          ____________________