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H. C. R. No. 7 As Reported by the House Judiciary and Ethics Committee
As Reported by the House Judiciary and Ethics Committee
129th General Assembly | Regular Session | 2011-2012 |
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Cosponsors:
Representatives Derickson, Carey, Yuko, Fedor, Blair, Blessing, Mecklenborg
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
| To urge the Government of Turkey to respect the
rights and religious freedoms of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate.
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BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF OHIO (THE SENATE CONCURRING):
WHEREAS, The Ecumenical Patriarchate, located in Istanbul,
Turkey, is the spiritual home of the world's second largest
Christian church; and
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WHEREAS, Within the two-thousand-year-old Sacred See of the
Ecumenical Patriarchate, the New Testament was codified and the
Nicene Creed was created; and
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WHEREAS, The Sacred See is led by Ecumenical Patriarch
Bartholomew, one of the world's preeminent spiritual leaders and
peacemakers representing 300 million Orthodox Christians
worldwide; and
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WHEREAS, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has a record of
reaching out and working for peace and reconciliation among all
faiths and has fostered an interfaith dialogue among Christians,
Jews, and Muslims; and
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WHEREAS, Following the 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 these attacks as
"anti-religious"; and
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WHEREAS, The Ecumenical Patriarchate co-sponsored the
Conference on Peace and Tolerance in Istanbul, which issued the
Bosporus Declaration that stated that "A crime committed in the
name of religion is a crime against religion"; and
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WHEREAS, Since 1453 the continuing presence of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate in Turkey has been a living testament to religious
coexistence; and
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WHEREAS, This religious coexistence is in jeopardy because
the Government of Turkey refuses to recognize the rights and
religious freedoms of the Ecumenical Patriarchate; and
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WHEREAS, The Government of Turkey has failed to recognize the
Ecumenical Patriarchate's international status; and
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WHEREAS, The Government of Turkey has limited to Turkish
nationals the candidates available to hold the office of
Ecumenical Patriarch; and
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WHEREAS, The Government of Turkey has confiscated 75% of the
Ecumenical Patriarchate's properties and has placed a 42%
retroactive tax on the Balukli Hospital of Istanbul, which is
operated by the Ecumenical Patriarchate; and
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WHEREAS, The Government of Turkey has reneged on its
agreement to reopen the Theological School at Halki, which the
Government of Turkey closed in 1971, thus impeding training for
the Orthodox clergy in Turkey; and
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WHEREAS, The European Union, a group of nations with a common
goal of promoting peace and the well-being of its peoples, has
agreed to open accession negotiations with Turkey; and
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WHEREAS, Under the terms of the draft European Union
Constitution, current and prospective member nations should have
the goal of eliminating discrimination based upon grounds such as
sex, race, color, ethnic or social origin, genetic features,
language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion,
national minority membership, property, birth, disability, age, or
sexual orientation; and
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WHEREAS, The Government of Turkey's current treatment of the
Ecumenical Patriarchate is inconsistent with the membership
conditions and goals of the European Union; and
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WHEREAS, Orthodox Christians in Ohio and throughout the
United States stand to lose their spiritual leader because of the
continued actions of the Government of Turkey; now therefore be it
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RESOLVED, That we, the members of the 129th General Assembly
of the State of Ohio, in adopting this resolution, urge the
Government of Turkey to uphold and safeguard religious and human
rights without compromise, grant the Ecumenical Patriarchate
appropriate international recognition and ecclesiastic succession,
grant the Ecumenical Patriarch the right to train clergy of all
nationalities, and respect the property and human rights of the
Ecumenical Patriarchate; and be it further
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RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted 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 the Ohio Congressional
delegation.
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