82R2086 MMS-F

By: Huffman S.C.R. No. 4

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

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 direct successor to the Apostle Andrew and who holds titular primacy as primus inter pares, "first among equals," in the community of Orthodox Churches worldwide; and

WHEREAS, The Orthodox Christian Church, in existence for nearly 2,000 years, has approximately 300 million members around the globe, with more than 2 million members in the United States; 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; three years later, 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 continuing presence of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Turkey since 1453 has been a living testament to the religious coexistence of Christians and Muslims, but this coexistence is now in jeopardy; and

WHEREAS, The government of Turkey has limited candidacy to the office of Ecumenical Patriarch to Turkish nationals; while millions of Orthodox Christians resided in Turkey at the turn of the 20th century, government policies led to a severe decline in their numbers, and fewer than 4,000 Orthodox Christians remain in Turkey today; and

WHEREAS, In 1971, the government of Turkey closed the Theological School on the island of Halki and has refused to allow it to reopen, thus impeding training for Orthodox Christian clergy; and

WHEREAS, The Turkish government has confiscated nearly 94 percent of the properties belonging to the Ecumenical Patriarchate and has placed a 42 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 EU 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 that guarantee democracy, adherence to the rule of law, and respect for and protection of minorities and human rights; and

WHEREAS, The current treatment of the Ecumenical Patriarchate by the Turkish government is inconsistent with the membership conditions and goals of the European Union; and

WHEREAS, Orthodox Christians in Texas and throughout the United States stand to lose their spiritual leader 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 treatment of the Ecumenical Patriarchate by the Turkish government; and

WHEREAS, The Constitution of the State of Texas expressly supports freedom of worship and advances the principle that no human authority ought to control or interfere with matters of religion in any case whatsoever; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas hereby respectfully urge the government of the Republic of Turkey to uphold and safeguard religious and human rights without compromise, cease its discrimination against the Ecumenical Patriarchate, recognize the international status of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, grant the Ecumenical Patriarchate the authority to determine ecclesiastic succession and the right to train clergy of all nationalities, and respect the property rights of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the human rights of its personnel; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to the United States ambassador to the Republic of Turkey, to the ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to the United States, to the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that this resolution be entered into the Congressional Record as a memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.