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H. 4727
STATUS INFORMATION
House Resolution
Sponsors: Rep. Stavrinakis
Document Path: l:\council\bills\swb\5452cm08.doc
Introduced in the House on February 20, 2008
Adopted by the House on April 9, 2008
Summary: Turkey
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS
Date Body Action Description with journal page number
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2/20/2008 House Introduced HJ-14
2/20/2008 House Referred to Committee on Invitations and Memorial
Resolutions HJ-15
4/3/2008 House Committee report: Favorable Invitations and Memorial
Resolutions HJ-8
4/9/2008 House Adopted HJ-43
View the latest legislative information at the LPITS web site
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
COMMITTEE REPORT
April 3, 2008
H. 4727
S. Printed 4/3/08--H.
Read the first time February 20, 2008.
To whom was referred a House Resolution (H. 4727) to urge the government of Turkey to grant the Ecumenical Patriarch appropriate international recognition, ecclesiastical succession, and the right to train clergy of all nationalities, etc., respectfully
That they have duly and carefully considered the same and recommend that the same do pass:
ROBERT W. LEACH, SR. for Committee.
TO URGE THE GOVERNMENT OF TURKEY TO GRANT THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCH APPROPRIATE INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION, ECCLESIASTICAL SUCCESSION, AND THE RIGHT TO TRAIN CLERGY OF ALL NATIONALITIES AND TO RESPECT THE PROPERTY RIGHTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS OF THE ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
Whereas, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, located in Istanbul, Turkey, is the Sacred See that presides in a spirit of brotherhood over a communion of self-governing churches of the Orthodox Christian world; and
Whereas, the See is led by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who is the 269th in direct succession to the Apostle Andrew and holds titular primacy as primus inter pares, meaning "first among equals", in the community of Orthodox churches worldwide; and
Whereas, in 1994, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, along with leaders of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, cosponsored the Conference on Peace and Tolerance, which brought together Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religious leaders for an interfaith dialogue to help end the Balkan conflict and the ethnic conflict in the Caucasus region; and
Whereas, in 1997, the Congress of the United States awarded Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew with the Congressional Gold Medal; and
Whereas, following the terrorist attacks on our nation on September 11, 2001, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew gathered a group of international religious leaders to produce the first joint statement with Muslim leaders that condemned the 9/11 attacks as "antireligious"; and
Whereas, in October 2005, the Ecumenical Patriarch, along with Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders, cosponsored the Conference on Peace and Tolerance II to further promote peace and stability in southeastern Europe, the Caucasus region, and Central Asia via religious leaders' interfaith dialogue, understanding, and action; and
Whereas, the Orthodox Christian Church, in existence for nearly two thousand years, numbers approximately three million members worldwide with more than two million members in the United States; and
Whereas, since 1453, the continuing presence of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Turkey has been a living testament to the religious coexistence of Christians and Muslims; and
Whereas, this religious coexistence is in jeopardy because the Ecumenical Patriarchate is considered a minority religion by the Turkish government; and
Whereas, the Government of Turkey has limited the candidates available to hold the office of Ecumenical Patriarch to only Turkish nationals, and from the million of Orthodox Christians living in Turkey at the turn of the twentieth century and due to the continued policies during this period by the Turkish government, there remain less the three thousand of the Ecumenical Patriarch's flock left in Turkey today; and
Whereas, the Government of Turkey closed the Theological School on the island of Halki in 1971 and has refused to allow it to reopen, thus impeding training for Orthodox Christian clergy; and
Whereas, the Turkish government has confiscated nearly ninety-four percent of the Ecumenical Patriarchate's properties and has placed a forty-two percent tax, retroactive to 1999, on the Baloukli Hospital and Home for the Aged, a charity hospital run by the Ecumenical Patriarchate; and
Whereas, the European Union, a group of nations with a common goal of promoting peace and the well-being of its peoples, began accession negotiations with Turkey on October 3, 2005; and
Whereas, the European Union defined membership criteria for accession at the Copenhagen European Council in 1993, obligating candidate countries to achieve certain levels of reform, including stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, adherence to the rule of law, and respect for and protection of minorities and human rights; and
Whereas, the Turkish government's current treatment of the Ecumenical Patriarchate is inconsistent with the membership conditions and goals of the European Union; and
Whereas, Orthodox Christians in this State and throughout the United States stand to lose their spiritual leaders because of the continued actions of the Turkish government; and
Whereas, the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle, a group of laymen who each have been honored with a patriarchal title, or "offikion", by the Ecumenical Patriarch for their outstanding service to the Orthodox Church, will send an American delegation to Turkey to meet with Turkish government officials, as well as the United States Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey, regarding the Turkish government's treatment of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, urge the Government of Turkey to:
(1) uphold and safeguard religious and human rights without compromise;
(2) cease its discrimination of the Ecumenical Patriarchate;
(3) grant the Ecumenical Patriarch appropriate international recognition, ecclesiastic succession, and the right to train clergy of all nationalities; and
(4) respect the property rights and human rights of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the President of the United States, the United States Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey, the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to the United States, and to the members of the South Carolina Congressional Delegation.
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