75th OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2009 Regular Session
 
SA to SJR 16
 
LC 496/SJR 16-2
 
                      SENATE AMENDMENTS TO
                   SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 16
 
                      By COMMITTEE ON RULES
 
                              May 4
 
  Delete lines 2 through 16 of the printed joint resolution and
insert:
  ' Whereas the Ecumenical Patriarchate, located in Istanbul,
Turkey, is the Sacred See that presides in a spirit of
brotherhood over a communion of self-governing churches of the
Orthodox Christian world; and
  ' Whereas the See is led by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew,
who is the 270th in direct succession to the Apostle Andrew and
holds titular primacy as primus inter pares, meaning 'first among
equals,' in the community of Orthodox churches worldwide; and
  ' Whereas in 1994, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, along with
leaders of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, cosponsored the
Conference on Peace and Tolerance, which brought together
Christian, Jewish and Muslim religious leaders for an interfaith
dialogue to help end the Balkan conflict and the ethnic conflict
in the Caucasus region; and
  ' Whereas in 1997, the Congress of the United States awarded
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew with the Congressional Gold
Medal; and
  ' Whereas following the terrorist 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 the 9/11
attacks as 'antireligious'; and
  ' Whereas in October 2005, the Ecumenical Patriarch, along with
Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders, cosponsored the Conference
on Peace and Tolerance II to further promote peace and stability
in southeastern Europe, the Caucasus region and Central Asia via
religious leaders' interfaith dialogue, understanding, and
action; and
  ' Whereas the Orthodox Christian Church, in existence for
nearly 2,000 years, numbers approximately 300 million members
worldwide with more than 2 million members in the United States;
and
  ' Whereas since 1453, the continuous presence of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate in Istanbul has been a living testament to the
religious coexistence of Christians and Muslims; and
  ' Whereas this religious coexistence is in jeopardy because the
Ecumenical Patriarchate is considered by the government of the
Republic of Turkey to be the head of the Greek minority in
Istanbul exclusively, rather than the head of the Greek Orthodox
Church; and
  ' Whereas the Turkish government has limited the candidates
available to hold the office of Ecumenical Patriarch to only
Turkish nationals, and there remain fewer than 2,000 Orthodox
Christians living in Turkey today; and
  ' Whereas the Turkish government closed the Orthodox Christian
theological school on the island of Halki in 1971 and has refused
to allow it to reopen, thus impeding training for Orthodox
Christian clergy; and
  ' Whereas the Turkish government does not recognize the
Ecumenical Patriarchate as a legal entity, and is therefore
confiscating all of its properties along with the majority of the
property belonging to the Greek community and its parishes, and
imposing high taxes on the Balouki Hospital and Home for the
Aged, a charity hospital; and
  ' Whereas the European Union, a group of nations with a common
goal of promoting peace and the well-being of its peoples, began
accession negotiations with the Republic of Turkey on October 3,
2005; and
  ' Whereas the European Union defined membership criteria for
accession at the Copenhagen European Council in 1993, obligating
candidate countries to achieve certain levels of reform,
including stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy,
adherence to the rule of law and respect for and protection of
minorities, human rights and religious rights; and
  ' Whereas the Turkish government's current treatment of the
Ecumenical Patriarchate is inconsistent with the membership
conditions and goals of the European Union; and
  ' Whereas Orthodox Christians in Oregon and throughout the
United States stand to lose their spiritual leader because of the
deliberate actions of the Turkish government; and
  ' Whereas the Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the
Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle, a group of laymen who each
have been honored with a patriarchal title, or 'offikion,' by the
Ecumenical Patriarch for their outstanding service to the
Orthodox Christian Church, will send an American delegation to
Turkey to meet with Turkish government officials, as well as the
United States Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey, regarding the
Turkish government's treatment of the Ecumenical Patriarchate;
now, therefore,'.
  Delete lines 18 and 19 and insert:
  ' That we, the members of the Seventy-fifth Legislative
Assembly, support the efforts of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to
promote the peaceful coexistence of Christians and Muslims and
respectfully request that the Republic of Turkey uphold and
safeguard religious and human rights and grant to the Ecumenical
Patriarch appropriate rights and independence to carry on the
work of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in perpetuity.'.
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