III 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 196 

Calling upon the Government of Turkey to facilitate the reopening of the 

Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Theological School of Halki without condition 

or further delay. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 24, 2011 

Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Ms. SNOWE, Mr. REID, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. 

WHITEHOUSE, and Mr. MENENDEZ) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Calling upon the Government of Turkey to facilitate the 

reopening of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Theological 

School of Halki without condition or further delay. 

Whereas the Ecumenical Patriarchate is an institution with 

a history spanning 17 centuries, serving as the center of 

the Orthodox Christian Church throughout the world; 

Whereas the Ecumenical Patriarchate sits at the crossroads 

of East and West, offering a unique perspective on the 

religions and cultures of the world; 

Whereas the title of Ecumenical Patriarch was formally accorded to the Archbishop of Constantinople by a synod 

convened in Constantinople during the sixth century; 


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•SRES 196 IS 

Whereas, since November 1991, His All Holiness, Bartholomew I, has served as Archbishop of Constantinople, 

New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch; 

Whereas Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I was awarded 

the Congressional Gold Medal in 1997, in recognition of 

his outstanding and enduring contributions toward religious understanding and peace; 

Whereas, during the 110th Congress, 75 Senators and the 

overwhelming majority of members of the Committee on 

Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives wrote to 

President George W. Bush and the Prime Minister of 

Turkey to express congressional concern, which continues 

today, regarding the absence of religious freedom for Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I in the areas of 

church-controlled Patriarchal succession, the confiscation 

of the vast majority of Patriarchal properties, recognition 

of the international Ecumenicity of the Patriarchate, and 

the reopening of the Theological School of Halki; 

Whereas the Theological School of Halki, founded in 1844 

and located outside Istanbul, Turkey, served as the principal seminary for the Ecumenical Patriarchate until its 

forcible closure by the Turkish authorities in 1971; 

Whereas the alumni of this preeminent educational institution 

include numerous prominent Orthodox scholars, 

theologians, priests, bishops, and patriarchs, including 

Bartholomew I; 

Whereas the Republic of Turkey has been a participating 

state of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in 

Europe (OSCE) since signing the Helsinki Final Act in 

1975; 


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•SRES 196 IS 

Whereas in 1989, the OSCE participating states adopted the 

Vienna Concluding Document, committing to respect the 

right of religious communities to provide ‘‘training of religious personnel in appropriate institutions’’; 

Whereas the continued closure of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Theological School of Halki has been an ongoing 

issue of concern for the American 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 Meeting; 

Whereas, in his address to the Grand National Assembly of 

Turkey on April 6, 2009, President Barack Obama said, 

‘‘Freedom of religion and expression lead to a strong and 

vibrant civil society that only strengthens the state, which 

is why steps like reopening Halki Seminary will send 

such an important signal inside Turkey and beyond.’’; 

Whereas, in a welcomed development, the Prime Minister of 

Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, met with the Ecumenical 

Patriarch on August 15, 2009, and, in an address to a 

wider gathering of minority religious leaders that day, 

concluded by stating, ‘‘We should not be of those who 

gather, talk, and disperse. A result should come out of 

this.’’; 

Whereas, during his visit to the United States in November 

2009, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I raised the 

issue of the continued closure of the Theological School 

of Halki with President Obama, congressional leaders, 

and others; 

Whereas, in a welcome development, for the first time since 

1922, the Government of Turkey in August 2010 allowed 


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•SRES 196 IS 

the liturgical celebration by the Ecumenical Patriarch at 

the historic Sumela Monastery; and 

Whereas, following a unanimous decision by the European 

Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg in 2010, ruling 

that Turkey return the former Greek Orphanage on 

Buyukada Island to the Ecumenical Patriarchate, on the 

eve of the feast day of St. Andrew observed on November 

30, the Government of Turkey provided lawyers representing the Ecumenical Patriarchate with the formal 

property title for the confiscated building: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) welcomes the historic meeting between 

3 Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ecu4 menical Patriarch Bartholomew I; 

5 (2) welcomes the positive gestures by the Gov6 ernment of Turkey, including allowing the liturgical 

7 celebration by the Ecumenical Patriarch at the his8 toric Sumela Monastery and the return of the 

9 former Greek Orphanage on Buyukada Island to the 

10 Ecumenical Patriarchate; 

11 (3) urges the Government of Turkey to facili12 tate the reopening of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s 

13 Theological School of Halki without condition or fur14 ther delay; and 


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•SRES 196 IS 

1 (4) urges the Government of Turkey to address 

2 other longstanding concerns relating to the Ecu3 menical Patriarchate. 

Æ 


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