,,iv #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #ahh ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,april #bf1 #bjac ,mr4 ,bilirakis 7for himself1 ,mrs4 ,carolyn ,b4 ,maloney of ,new ,york1 ,ms4 ,ros-,lehtinen1 ,mr4 ,mc,govern1 ,mr4 ,franks of ,arizona1 ,mr4 ,sarbanes1 ,mr4 ,kelly of ,pennsylvania1 ,ms4 ,titus1 ,mr4 ,grimm1 ,mr4 ,schiff1 ,mr4 ,pallone1 ,ms4 ,linda ,t4 ,snchez of ,california1 and ,mr4 ,michaud7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,,resolution ,calling upon the ,government of ,turkey to facilitate the reopening of the ,ecumenical ,patriarchate's ,theological ,school of ,halki without condition or further delay4 ,whereas the ,ecumenical ,patriarchate is an institution with a history spanning #ag centuries1 serving as the center of the ,orthodox ,christian ,church throughout the world2 ,whereas ,ecumenical ,patriarch ,bartholomew is the spiritual leader of nearly #cjj1jjj1jjj ,orthodox ,christians around the world and millions of ,orthodox ,christians in the ,united ,states2 ,whereas the ,ecumenical ,patriarchate is the spiritual home of the world's oldest and second largest ,christian church located in ,istanbul1 ,turkey2 ,whereas within the #b1jjj-year-old ,sacred ,see of the ,ecumenical ,patriarchate1 the ,new ,testament was codified and the ,nicene ,creed was created2 ,whereas the ,ecumenical ,patriarchate sits at the crossroads of ,east and ,west1 offering a unique perspective on the religions and cultures of the world2 ,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 ,patriarchate in ,turkey is a living testimony of religious co-existence since #adec2 ,whereas the title of ,ecumenical ,patriarch was formally accorded to the ,archbishop of ,constantinople by a synod convened in ,constantinople during the #fth century2 ,whereas since ,november #aiia1 ,his ,all ,holiness1 ,bartholomew ,i1 has served as ,archbishop of ,constantinople1 ,new ,rome and ,ecumenical ,patriarch2 ,whereas ,ecumenical ,patriarch ,bartholomew ,i was awarded the ,congressional ,gold ,medal in #aiig1 in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions toward religious understanding and peace2 ,whereas during the #aajth ,congress1 #ge ,senators and the overwhelming majority of members of the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives wrote to ,president ,george ,w4 ,bush and the ,prime ,minister of ,turkey to express congressional concern1 which continues today1 regarding the absence of religious freedom for ,ecumenical ,patriarch ,bartholomew ,i in the areas of church-controlled ,patriarchal succession1 the confiscation of the vast majority of ,patriarchal properties1 recognition of the international ,ecumenicity of the ,patriarchate1 and the reopening of the ,theological ,school of ,halki2 ,whereas the ,theological ,school of ,halki1 founded in #ahdd and located outside ,istanbul1 ,turkey1 served as the principal seminary for the ,ecumenical ,patriarchate until its forcible closure by the ,turkish authorities in #aiga2 ,whereas the alumni of this preeminent educational institution include numerous prominent ,orthodox scholars1 theologians1 priests1 bishops1 and patriarchs1 including ,bartholomew ,i2 ,whereas the ,republic of ,turkey has been a participating state of the ,organization for ,security and ,cooperation in ,europe 7,,osce7 since signing the ,helsinki ,final ,act in #aige2 ,whereas in #aihi1 ,,osce participating states adopted the ,vienna ,concluding ,document1 committing to respect the right of religious communities to provide training of religious personnel in appropriate institutions2 ,whereas the continued closure of the ,ecumenical ,patriarchate's ,theological ,school of ,halki has been an ongoing issue of concern for the ,united ,states people and the ,united ,states ,congress and has been repeatedly raised by members of the ,commission on ,security and ,cooperation in ,europe and by ,united ,states delegations to the ,,osce's annual ,human ,dimension ,implementation ,meeting2 ,whereas in his address to the ,grand ,national ,assembly of ,turkey on ,april #f1 #bjji1 ,president ,barack ,obama said1 ,freedom of religion and expression lead to a strong and vibrant civil society that only strengthens the state1 which is why steps like reopening ,halki ,seminary will send such an important signal inside ,turkey and beyond42 ,whereas in a welcomed development1 the ,prime ,minister of ,turkey1 ,recep ,tayyip ,erdogan1 met with the ,ecumenical ,patriarch on ,august #ae1 #bjji1 and1 in an address to a wider gathering of minority religious leaders that day1 concluded by stating1 ,we should not be of those who gather1 talk1 and disperse4 ,a result should come out of this42 ,whereas during his visit to the ,united ,states in ,november #bjji1 ,ecumenical ,patriarch ,bartholomew ,i raised the issue of the continued closure of the ,theological ,school of ,halki with ,president ,obama1 congressional leaders1 and others2 ,whereas in a welcome development1 for the first time since #aibb1 the ,government of ,turkey in ,august #bjaj allowed the liturgical celebration by the ,ecumenical ,patriarch at the historic ,sumela ,monastery2 ,whereas following a unanimous decision by the ,european ,court of ,human ,rights in ,strasbourg in #bjaj1 ruling that ,turkey return the former ,greek ,orphanage on ,buyukada ,island to the ,ecumenical ,patriarchate1 on the eve of the feast day of ,st4 ,andrew observed on ,november #cj1 the ,government of ,turkey provided lawyers representing the ,ecumenical ,patriarchate with the formal property title for the confiscated building2 ,whereas in ,march #bjab1 after bilateral meetings between the ,united ,states and ,turkey in ,seoul1 ,korea1 ,president ,barack ,obama praised ,prime ,minister ,erdogan's efforts to protect religious minorities and announced1 ,i am pleased to hear of his decision to reopen the ,halki ,seminary42 ,whereas ,turkey's ,council of ,foundations returned #aij hectares of forestland to the ,theological ,school of ,halki in ,january #bjac2 and ,whereas ,secretary of ,state ,john ,f4 ,kerry met with ,turkish officials and the ,ecumenical ,patriarch ,bartholomew ,i during an ,april #bjac meeting and reiterated the ,united ,states position that the ,halki ,seminary should be reopened without further delay or conditions3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 welcomes past and future meetings between ,prime ,minister ,recep ,tayyip ,erdogan and ,ecumenical ,patriarch ,bartholomew ,i2 7#b7 welcomes the positive gestures by the ,government of ,turkey1 including allowing the liturgical celebration by the ,ecumenical ,patriarch at the historic ,sumela ,monastery and the return of the former ,greek ,orphanage on ,buyukada ,island to the ,ecumenical ,patriarchate1 and the return of the #aij hectares of forestland to the ,greek ,orthodox foundation listed as owner-of-record of the ,theological ,school of ,halki2 7#c7 urges the ,government of ,turkey to facilitate the reopening of the ,ecumenical ,patriarchate's ,theological ,school of ,halki without condition or further delay2 and 7#d7 urges the ,government of ,turkey to address other longstanding concerns relating to the ,ecumenical ,patriarchate4