Urging Turkey to respect the rights and religious freedoms of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. RES. 1050 Urging Turkey to respect the rights and religious freedoms of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JULY 16, 2020 Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York (for herself and Mr. BILIRAKIS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Urging Turkey to respect the rights and religious freedoms of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Whereas the Ecumenical Patriarchate is the spiritual home of the world’s oldest and second largest Christian Church; Whereas within the 2,000-year-old Sacred See of the Ecu- menical Patriarchate, the New Testament was codified and the Nicene Creed was created; Whereas Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is one of the world’s preeminent spiritual leaders and peacemakers representing over 300 million Orthodox Christians world- wide; Whereas the disappearance of the See would mean the end of a crucial link between the Christian and the Muslim world since the continuing presence of the Ecumenical VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:53 Jul 16, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1050.IH HR1050 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 1050 IH Patriarchate in Turkey is a living testimony of religious co-existence since 1453; Whereas Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award be- stowed by the United States Congress, and he coordi- nated with religious leaders around the world to issue a condemnation of the September 11, 2001, attack on the United States as an anti-religious act; Whereas the Ecumenical Patriarchate has a record of reach- ing out and working for peace and reconciliation amongst all faiths and has fostered dialogue among Christians, Jews, and Muslims; Whereas the Ecumenical Patriarchate co-sponsored the Peace and Tolerance Conference in Istanbul which issued the Bosphorus Declaration that stated, ‘‘A crime committed in the name of religion is a crime against religion.’’; Whereas the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew stated in Brussels in 2004, ‘‘The Ecumenical Patriarchate is a su- pranational ecclesiastical institution . . . which dem- onstrates religious tolerance as a beautiful reality. For we bear respect toward all of our humans, irrespective of their faith. Without any trace of fanaticism or discrimi- nation on account of differences of religion, we coexist peacefully and in a spirit that honors each and every human being.’’; Whereas the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has called for the admission of Turkey into the European Union be- cause, ‘‘. . . it may provide a concrete example and a powerful symbol of mutually beneficial cooperation be- tween the western and Islamic worlds and put an end to the talk of the clash of civilizations. This in turn would VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:53 Jul 16, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1050.IH HR1050 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 1050 IH be a true strengthening of Europe and the European ideals that converge with the values of the ‘pilgrims of the book’ spoken of by the current Prime Minister of Turkey.’’; Whereas, in 1993, the European Union defined the member- ship criteria for accession to the European Union at the Copenhagen European Council, obligating candidate countries to have achieved certain levels of reform, in- cluding stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, and human rights, and respect for and protection of minorities; Whereas under the terms of the draft European Union Con- stitution, current, and prospective member states should have the goal of eliminating discrimination based on sex, race, color, ethnic or social origin, genetic features, lan- guage, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, dis- ability, age, or sexual orientation; Whereas the Turkish Constitution secures religious rights for all Turkish citizens; Whereas the Government of Turkey has failed to recognize the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s international status; Whereas the Government of Turkey has limited candidates available to the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patri- archate to Turkish nationals and reneged on its agree- ment to reopen the Theological School at Halki, thus im- peding the training for Orthodox clergy; Whereas the Government of Turkey has confiscated 75 per- cent of the Ecumenical Patriarchate properties and has placed a 42-percent retroactive tax on the Balukli Hos- VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:53 Jul 16, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1050.IH HR1050 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 1050 IH pital of Istanbul which is operated by the Ecumenical Pa- triarchate; and Whereas the European Council has agreed to open accession negotiations with Turkey, conditional upon the continu- ation by Turkey of reform processes to increase protec- tion and support for human rights and civil liberties: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) based on the goals set forth in the draft of 2 the European Union Constitution, calls on Turkey to 3 eliminate all forms of discrimination, particularly 4 those based on race or religion, and immediately— 5 (A) grant the Ecumenical Patriarchate ap- 6 propriate international recognition and eccle- 7 siastic succession; 8 (B) grant the Ecumenical Patriarchate the 9 right to train clergy and to elect Holy Synod 10 members from candidates of all nationalities, 11 not limited to Turkish nationals, who fall under 12 the international ecclesiastical jurisdiction of 13 the Ecumenical Patriarchate; and 14 (C) respect human rights and property 15 rights of the Ecumenical Patriarchate; 16 (2) calls on Turkey to pledge to uphold and 17 safeguard religious and human rights without com- 18 promise; 19 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:53 Jul 16, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1050.IH HR1050 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HRES 1050 IH (3) calls on Turkey to respect international law, 1 European Union laws, and the basic tenets of 2 human rights; and 3 (4) expresses its view that Turkey must prove 4 that it is ready to meet the criteria set forth by the 5 Copenhagen European Council prior to its accession 6 into the European Union. 7 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:53 Jul 16, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR1050.IH HR1050 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS