By: Whitmire, Carona  S.R. No. 36
         (In the Senate - Filed June 14, 2011; June 16, 2011, read
  first time and referred to Committee on Business and Commerce;
  June 20, 2011, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 7,
  Nays 0; June 20, 2011, sent to printer.)
 
 
SENATE RESOLUTION
 
  WHEREAS, The Orthodox Christian Church, in existence for
  nearly 2,000 years, numbers approximately 300 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
  religious coexistence; and
         WHEREAS, This religious coexistence is in doubt because the
  Ecumenical Patriarchate is considered a minority religion by the
  Turkish government; and
         WHEREAS, There were millions of Orthodox Christians living in
  Turkey at the turn of the 20th century, but there remain fewer than
  3,000 in Turkey today; and
         WHEREAS, Orthodox Christians in Texas and throughout the
  United States stand to lose their spiritual leader; and
         WHEREAS, While there have been difficulties in the past with
  the relationship of the Orthodox Christian Church and the Turkish
  government, certain recent actions by the Turkish government
  suggest an interest in improving its relationship with and
  treatment of the Orthodox Christian Church, and such actions are
  acknowledged and welcomed; and
         WHEREAS, The people of Texas desire to encourage continued
  dialogue and communication between the leadership of the Turkish
  government and the Orthodox Christian Church, such as recent
  high-level meetings between Turkish officials and the Ecumenical
  Patriarchate; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 82nd
  Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby urge the government of
  Turkey to uphold and safeguard religious and human rights of all its
  citizens without compromise, 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 all religious and faith traditions.
 
  * * * * *