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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The Ecumenical Patriarchate, located in Istanbul, |
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Turkey, is the Sacred See that presides in a spirit of brotherhood |
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over a communion of self-governing churches of the Orthodox |
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Christian world; and |
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WHEREAS, The See is led by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, |
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who is the 269th direct successor to the Apostle Andrew and who |
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holds titular primacy as primus inter pares, "first among equals," |
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in the community of Orthodox Churches worldwide; and |
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WHEREAS, The Orthodox Christian Church, in existence for |
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nearly 2,000 years, has approximately 300 million members around |
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the globe, with more than 2 million members in the United States; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, In 1994, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, along |
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with leaders of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, cosponsored |
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the Conference on Peace and Tolerance, which brought together |
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Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religious leaders for an interfaith |
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dialogue to help end the Balkan conflict and the ethnic conflict in |
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the Caucasus region; three years later, the Congress of the United |
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States awarded Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew with the |
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Congressional Gold Medal; and |
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WHEREAS, Following the terrorist attacks on our nation on |
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September 11, 2001, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew gathered a |
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group of international religious leaders to produce the first joint |
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statement with Muslim leaders that condemned the 9/11 attacks as |
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"antireligious"; and |
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WHEREAS, In October 2005, the Ecumenical Patriarch, along |
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with Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders, cosponsored the |
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Conference on Peace and Tolerance II to further promote peace and |
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stability in southeastern Europe, the Caucasus region, and Central |
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Asia via religious leaders' interfaith dialogue, understanding, |
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and action; and |
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WHEREAS, The continuing presence of the Ecumenical |
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Patriarchate in Turkey since 1453 has been a living testament to the |
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religious coexistence of Christians and Muslims, but this |
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coexistence is now in jeopardy; and |
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WHEREAS, The government of Turkey has limited candidacy to |
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the office of Ecumenical Patriarch to Turkish nationals; while |
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millions of Orthodox Christians resided in Turkey at the turn of the |
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20th century, government policies led to a severe decline in their |
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numbers, and fewer than 4,000 Orthodox Christians remain in Turkey |
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today; and |
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WHEREAS, In 1971, the government of Turkey closed the |
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Theological School on the island of Halki and has refused to allow |
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it to reopen, thus impeding training for Orthodox Christian clergy; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, The Turkish government has confiscated nearly 94 |
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percent of the properties belonging to the Ecumenical Patriarchate |
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and has placed a 42 percent tax, retroactive to 1999, on the |
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Baloukli Hospital and Home for the Aged, a charity hospital run by |
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the Ecumenical Patriarchate; and |
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WHEREAS, The European Union, a group of nations with a common |
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goal of promoting peace and the well-being of its peoples, began |
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accession negotiations with Turkey on October 3, 2005; and |
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WHEREAS, The EU defined membership criteria for accession at |
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the Copenhagen European Council in 1993, obligating candidate |
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countries to achieve certain levels of reform, including stability |
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of institutions that guarantee democracy, adherence to the rule of |
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law, and respect for and protection of minorities and human rights; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, The current treatment of the Ecumenical |
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Patriarchate by the Turkish government is inconsistent with the |
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membership conditions and goals of the European Union; and |
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WHEREAS, Orthodox Christians in Texas and throughout the |
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United States stand to lose their spiritual leader because of the |
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continued actions of the Turkish government; and |
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WHEREAS, The Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the |
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Order of St. Andrew the Apostle, a group of laymen who each have |
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been honored with a patriarchal title, or offikion, by the |
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Ecumenical Patriarch for their outstanding service to the Orthodox |
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Church, will send an American delegation to Turkey to meet with |
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Turkish government officials, as well as the United States |
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ambassador to the Republic of Turkey, regarding the treatment of |
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the Ecumenical Patriarchate by the Turkish government; and |
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WHEREAS, The Constitution of the State of Texas expressly |
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supports freedom of worship and advances the principle that no |
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human authority ought to control or interfere with matters of |
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religion in any case whatsoever; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby respectfully urge the government of the Republic of Turkey |
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to uphold and safeguard religious and human rights without |
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compromise, cease its discrimination against the Ecumenical |
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Patriarchate, recognize the international status of the Ecumenical |
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Patriarchate, grant the Ecumenical Patriarchate the authority to |
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determine ecclesiastic succession and the right to train clergy of |
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all nationalities, and respect the property rights of the |
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Ecumenical Patriarchate and the human rights of its personnel; and, |
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be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
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the United States ambassador to the Republic of Turkey, to the |
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ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to the United States, to the |
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president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of |
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Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the |
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members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that |
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this resolution be entered into the Congressional Record as a |
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memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |