[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 151 (Tuesday, September 16, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6644-S6645]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               WELCOMING ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW

  Mr. WARNOCK. Mr. President, I welcome His All-Holiness Ecumenical 
Patriarch Bartholomew of the Eastern Orthodox Church to the United 
States of America. Since 1991, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has 
served as the spiritual leader for 300 million Orthodox Christians 
across the world. Throughout his diakonia, Ecumenical Patriarch 
Bartholomew has dedicated himself to fostering inter-religious 
dialogue, advancing initiatives to promote understanding and tolerance 
amongst Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the Middle East.
  In addition to his commitment to religious tolerance and freedom, 
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has been a champion for ecological 
justice and the protection of the environment. Ecumenical Patriarch 
Bartholomew's dedication to the spiritual responsibility of 
environmentalism and the necessity of caring for God's creation led to 
him being referred to as the ``Green Patriarch.'' As a result of his 
efforts, the John Templeton Foundation has awarded Ecumenical Patriarch 
Bartholomew with the 2025 Templeton

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Prize for helping ``bridge scientific and spiritual understandings of 
humanity's relationship with the natural world.''
  It is an honor to have him visit Washington, DC, and our government 
officials during his trip to receive the Templeton Prize.

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