SR10,1,75 Whereas, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, located in Istanbul, Turkey, is the
6Sacred See that presides in a spirit of brotherhood over a communion of
7self-governing churches of the Orthodox Christian world; and

SR10,1,118 Whereas, the See is led by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who is the
9269th in direct succession to the Apostle Andrew and holds titular primacy as primus
10inter pares, meaning "first among equals," in the community of Orthodox churches
11worldwide; and

SR10,2,212 Whereas, in 1994, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, along with leaders of
13the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, cosponsored the Conference on Peace and
14Tolerance, which brought together Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religious leaders

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1for an interfaith dialogue to help end the Balkan conflict and the ethnic conflict in
2the Caucasus region; and

SR10,2,43 Whereas, in 1997, the Congress of the United States awarded Ecumenical
4Patriarch Bartholomew with the Congressional Gold Medal; and

SR10,2,85 Whereas, following the terrorist attacks on our nation on September 11, 2001,
6Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew gathered a group of international religious
7leaders to produce the first joint statement with Muslim leaders that condemned the
89/11 attacks as "antireligious"; and

SR10,2,139 Whereas, in October 2005, the Ecumenical Patriarch, along with Christian,
10Jewish, and Muslim leaders, cosponsored the Conference on Peace and Tolerance II
11to further promote peace and stability in southeastern Europe, the Caucasus region,
12and Central Asia via religious leaders' interfaith dialogue, understanding, and
13action; and

SR10,2,1614 Whereas, the Orthodox Christian Church, in existence for nearly 2,000 years,
15numbers approximately 300 million members worldwide with more than two million
16members in the United States; and

SR10,2,1917 Whereas, since 1453, the continuing presence of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
18in Turkey has been a living testament to the religious coexistence of Christians and
19Muslims; and

SR10,2,2120 Whereas, this religious coexistence is in jeopardy because the Ecumenical
21Patriarchate is considered a minority religion by the Turkish government; and

SR10,3,222 Whereas, the government of Turkey has limited the candidates available to
23hold the office of Ecumenical Patriarch to only Turkish nationals, and from the
24millions of Orthodox Christians living in Turkey at the turn of the 20th century and

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1due to the continued policies during this period by the Turkish government, there
2remain less than 3,000 of the Ecumenical Patriarch's flock left in Turkey today; and

SR10,3,53 Whereas, the government of Turkey closed the Theological School on the island
4of Halki in 1971 and has refused to allow it to reopen, thus impeding training for
5Orthodox Christian clergy; and

SR10,3,96 Whereas, the Turkish government has confiscated nearly 94 percent of the
7Ecumenical Patriarchate's properties and has placed a 42 percent tax, retroactive to
81999, on the Baloukli Hospital and Home for the Aged, a charity hospital run by the
9Ecumenical Patriarchate; and

SR10,3,1210 Whereas, the European Union, a group of nations with a common goal of
11promoting peace and the well-being of its peoples, began accession negotiations with
12Turkey on October 3, 2005; and

SR10,3,1713 Whereas, the European Union defined membership criteria for accession at the
14Copenhagen European Council in 1993, obligating candidate countries to achieve
15certain levels of reform, including stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy,
16adherence to the rule of law, and respect for and protection of minorities and human
17rights; and

SR10,3,2018 Whereas, the Turkish government's current treatment of the Ecumenical
19Patriarchate is inconsistent with the membership conditions and goals of the
20European Union; and

SR10,3,2321 Whereas, Orthodox Christians in this state and throughout the United States
22stand to lose their spiritual leader because of the continued actions of the Turkish
23government; and

SR10,4,524 Whereas, the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Order of St.
25Andrew the Apostle, a group of laymen who each have been honored with a

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1patriarchal title, or "offikion," by the Ecumenical Patriarch for their outstanding
2service to the Orthodox Church, will send an American delegation to Turkey to meet
3with Turkish government officials, as well as the United States Ambassador to the
4Republic of Turkey, regarding the Turkish government's treatment of the
5Ecumenical Patriarchate; now, therefore, be it