Welcoming to the United States and to Washington, DC, His All Holiness Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, Ecumenical Patriarch on his current trip on October 20, 2009, through November 6, 2009.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 838) welcoming to the United States and to Washington, DC, His All Holiness Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, Ecumenical Patriarch on his upcoming trip on October 20, 2009, through November 6, 2009, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution and yield myself such time as I may consume.

I would like to thank my colleague, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and a leading voice in the Congress on issues concerning the Ecumenical Patriarch, for introducing this resolution.

We are all pleased to welcome Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of nearly 300 million Orthodox Christians around the world, to the United States and to our Nation's Capital. Elected as the 270th Archbishop of the historic throne of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has been a tireless advocate for religious freedom, Muslim-Christian dialogue and international environmental protection.

Known as the Bridge Builder and the Patriarch of Peace, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has provided hope to those who have survived under Communist oppression and has also traveled throughout the Muslim world, advocating for religious tolerance and understanding.

Sitting at the crossroads between East and West, the Ecumenical Patriarchate itself is a testament to half a millennium of Christian- Muslim coexistence. In fact, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has strived to communicate his message of tolerance and understanding directly to millions of Muslims around the world.

Another important theme of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew's has been environmental protection which has earned him the title of Green Patriarch. It is fitting then that the Ecumenical Patriarch began his visit to the United States in New Orleans and convened a symposium on the environmental health of the Mississippi River.

This marks the eighth environmental symposium Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has held since 1995. In 2002, at the Adriatic Sea Symposium, Pope John Paul II and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew signed a historic joint declaration, underlining the spiritual duty of caring for God's creation in the interest of future generations.

Madam Speaker, while I am pleased that we've come here today and expressed our strong support for Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and his leadership on many important issues, we must also remember that the Patriarchate itself operates under numerous onerous restrictions imposed by the Government of Turkey, the country where the Patriarchate is located. The Patriarchate's property rights, its freedom to open religious schools and other issues of religious freedom must be properly addressed by the Turkish Government. Indeed, the very future of the Ecumenical Patriarchate is endangered by the Turkish requirement that the Ecumenical Patriarch be a natural-born citizen of Turkey. As the Greek Orthodox population of Turkey has dwindled to less than 3,000 persons, the pool of potential future Ecumenical Patriarchs has virtually dried up. This archaic requirement that the Patriarch be a natural-born Turkish citizen was born in the difficult post-World War I environment in which the modern Republic of Turkey was created. It is certainly unworthy of the self-confident regional power that Turkey has become, and we call on Turkey to end this requirement, and end it now, before it strangles the Patriarchate.

I urge my colleagues to join me in welcoming His All Holiness Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, Ecumenical Patriarch and honoring all he has done to promote peace, religious understanding and the protection of our environment. I strongly support this resolution, and I urge all my colleagues to do likewise.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Space).

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Sarbanes).

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 838. It is, indeed, a privilege to join with my colleagues in welcoming to the United States and honoring His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople and New Rome.

I want to thank Congressman Bilirakis for his leadership in developing this resolution.

As Ecumenical Patriarch, His All Holiness is the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians. Orthodox Christians constitute the second largest Christian domination in the world, numbering some 300 million. From the Phanar, located in modern day Istanbul, the Ecumenical Patriarch has challenged all of us through his unparalleled work in interfaith dialogue to respect each other's faiths and cultures.

He is a true messenger of peace and justice. Each day, the Ecumenical Patriarch reminds us through his good deeds and good words that we must reach beyond the value of material goods and look at one another as the brethren of a single family. The role of pastor to the world, the Ecumenical role of His All Holiness arises from the fact that he is the successor of the Apostle Andrew, who established the church in Rome's eastern provinces while his brother, Peter, established the church in Rome.

Unfortunately, while the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul is more than 1,700 years in existence, today, its survival is threatened because of the continued denial of religious freedom and human rights that is perpetuated by the government of the Republic of Turkey. The plight of this ancient and noble religious center exemplifies the ongoing struggle for international religious freedom that so many people of so many faiths continue to endure.

The United States must call upon its ally Turkey to restore the full rights of the Patriarchate, including property rights, and to reopen the Halki Theological Seminary.

I am particularly drawn to the Patriarch's efforts to promote environmentalism. He has been called the Green Patriarch for his powerful

commitment to restoring our planet. He initiated a joint declaration that it is man's duty to protect the Earth, signed by himself and Pope John Paul--the spiritual leaders of nearly one out of every five people in the world.

The moral force of his message is unassailable. Humankind must ensure that it exists in a world where there is fresh air to breathe, clean water to drink and pure soil from which to harvest our food. From the Phanar, the Ecumenical Patriarch has inspired millions of Christians, Jews, Muslims, and people of all faiths with his call upon humanity to honor its responsibility as a steward of the Earth's natural bounty.

We are so privileged to have Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in the United States and to honor him for his continuing efforts to achieve a more peaceful and harmonious world.

Madam Speaker, I rise today with great pride to offer House Resolution 838, as amended, which welcomes His All Holiness Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, Ecumenical Patriarch, as he visits the United States. I would like to recognize Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Berman and Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen for working with me to move this important resolution to the House floor expeditiously.

Consideration of this resolution underscores the importance and demonstrates Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew's relevance in the world as a spiritual leader, the leader of nearly 300 million Orthodox Christians around the world and millions of Orthodox Christians right here in the United States.

I was blessed to have been raised in the Greek Orthodox Church. As a child, I served as an altar boy in St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Tarpon Springs, Florida, as do three of my sons today.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is the 273rd successor of the founder of the Eastern Orthodox Church, St. Andrew the Apostle. Madam Speaker, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew must

ensure that the faith in the Holy See endures. The Ecumenical Patriarchate is the spiritual home of the world's oldest and second- largest Christian church located in Istanbul, Turkey.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has a record of reaching out and working for peace and reconciliation among all faiths and has fostered dialogue among Christians, Jews and Muslims. In fact, His All Holiness convened an ecumenical meeting which produced the first condemnation by Muslim leaders of the 9/11 attack on the United States as an anti- religious act, an accomplishment that has yet to be repeated by any other world or religious leader. Indeed, His All Holiness was the second living person in U.S. history allowed to be honored in the United States Capitol Rotunda as a recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest congressional honor, previously bestowed on such historic figures as George Washington, Pope John Paul II and Winston Churchill.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was honored by Time magazine in its selection of His All Holiness as number 11 among 2008's 100 most influential people in the world. He has been recognized in the United States and abroad as a leader in the quest for world peace, greater religious understanding and respect for the Earth's environment.

This resolution also recognizes the need for religious freedom and property rights to be granted to the Ecumenical Patriarchate as well as the need for the theological school at Halki to be reopened, both of which deserve our full support.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution recognizing the importance of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew's visit to the United States and his work on behalf of world peace, the environment and religious freedom.

Madam Speaker, I am so pleased and honored to yield such time as he may consume to my good friend from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis), an esteemed member of our Committee on Foreign Affairs and the author of this important resolution.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, it is my great honor to rise in support of this important resolution put forth by my good friend from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis). I thank him for his leadership.

This resolution welcomes the Ecumenical Patriarch on his visit to the United States, which is coming up this November. Patriarch Bartholomew is the spiritual leader for over 300 million Orthodox believers around the world, millions of whom live right here in the United States.

As the leader of the oldest and second largest church in the world, the Patriarch has been an inspirational advocate for peace and religious tolerance. In fact, the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul has been an iconic symbol for religious co-existence since 1453, when the Muslim ruler and the Patriarch at that time signed an accord for the continuation of the Orthodox Church in what became a predominantly Muslim country.

Today, Patriarch Bartholomew continues to reach out to leaders of various religious faiths to encourage dialogue and understanding. In fact, following the horrendous attacks on our country on September 11, 2001, Patriarch Bartholomew convened an interfaith conference with representatives from the Christian, Jewish and Muslim religions--a conference that resulted in the first condemnation by Muslim leaders of those terrorist attacks. Patriarch Bartholomew has also been a global leader in efforts to protect our environment. He has sponsored symposia with international environmental leaders on initiatives to protect our clean oceans and to protect our rivers.

Despite his many contributions and the commitment to peace and understanding, the Ecumenical Patriarch continues to endure restrictions imposed by the Turkish Government. The prohibitions on the Patriarchate's right to own property and its right to determine for itself the requirements for Patriarchal succession must end. The closing of the theological school in Halki must be reversed. Such actions restrict the religious freedom of millions of Orthodox believers, and they threaten the future of the Patriarchate, itself.

I am pleased that this resolution clearly states the need for the lifting of these bureaucratic restrictions on the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and on the occasion of the Patriarch's visit to the United States, we again call on the Turkish Government to end them.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time on this important resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.Res. 838. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this important resolution which welcomes His Holiness Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome, to the United States of America.

His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has been a tireless advocate for religious freedom, Muslim-Christian dialogue, and international environmental protection. He has been internationally recognized for his work to improve our worldwide community in many ways.

His work in the Muslim world advocating for religious understanding and tolerance and his efforts with victims of soviet oppression have earned him the title of ``Patriarch of Peace.'' In 2008, His Holiness was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine.

Madam Speaker, while I am pleased that the House of Representatives is expressing our strong support for Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and his leadership on many important issues, it is equally as important that I address the fact that the Patriarchate itself operates under numerous unfair restrictions imposed by the Turkish Government, where the Patriarchate is located. Unfortunately, the Patriarchate's property rights, its ability to open religious schools, and other issues of religious freedom must be properly addressed by the Turkish Government. I hope that the United States and the world community will work with the Government of Turkey to end this terrible crime of inhibiting religious freedoms.

I am pleased to welcome His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to the United States and I look forward to joining with our country's leaders to formally welcome His Holiness to Washington. I look forward to learning from him and working with the Greek Orthodox Community in the United States to bring full religious freedom to the Patriarchate. His Holiness has been instrumental in bringing light to those who have lived in darkness and helping those who need it most. We all benefit from his teachings.

I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.