IV
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. CON. RES. 345
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the Orthodox Theological School
of Halki in the Republic of Turkey be reopened in order to promote
religious freedom.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 12, 2002
Mr. BILIRAKIS (for himself, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. CROWLEY, and Mrs.
MALONEY of New York) submitted the following concurrent resolution;
which was referred to the Committee on International Relations
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the Orthodox
Theological School of Halki in the Republic of Turkey
be reopened in order to promote religious freedom.
Whereas the Theological School of Halki, located on the is-
land of Halki in the Republic of Turkey, was preceded
by the Monastery of the Trinity which was founded by
Patriarch Photius I and characterized as a ‘‘stadium of
wisdom’’ for its large library and the men who studied
there;
Whereas the monastery was rebuilt into an Orthodox School
of Theology by Patriarch Germanos IV and rededicated
on September 23, 1844, nurturing men of merit, edu-
cators, and scholars for 127 years;
•HCON 345 IH
Whereas the Theological School of Halki, which in its official
title is called ‘‘Seminary’’, was closed in 1971 by Turkish
authorities under a law requiring that higher education
in religion and military training be controlled by the
state;
Whereas Turkish law requires that the Patriarch, as well as
all the clergy, faculty, and students of the Theological
School of Halki be citizens of Turkey;
Whereas the Theological School of Halki is the only edu-
cational institution for Orthodox Christian leadership in
Turkey;
Whereas the Theological School of Halki also contains one of
the richest libraries in the world in rare and precious
works, while there are approximately 14 employees and
4 clerics who currently maintain the School;
Whereas the closing of the Theological School of Halki is a
serious concern for the Ecumenical Patriarchate and all
Orthodox Christians worldwide;
Whereas the Ecumenical Patriarchate is the spiritual center
for more than 300,000,000 Orthodox Christians world-
wide, including approximately 5,000,000 Orthodox Chris-
tians in the United States;
Whereas since its closure, the Ecumenical Patriarchate has
been deprived of all the adequate means to educate its
clergy (from among whom the next Ecumenical Patriarch
will have to be selected), a right enjoyed by Turkish citi-
zens of the Muslim faith;
Whereas as a result of the closing of the Theological School
of Halki, the Patriarchate has been compelled to train its
religious personnel abroad;
•HCON 345 IH
Whereas His All Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew I received
the Congressional Gold Medal in October 1997 for his ef-
forts to promote freedom and religious tolerance around
the world;
Whereas the closing of the Theological School of Halki is in
violation of international treaties to which Turkey is a
signatory, including the Treaty of Lausanne, the 1968
Protocol, the Helsinki Final Act of 1975, and the Char-
ter of Paris;
Whereas section 2804 of the Foreign Affairs Reform and Re-
structuring Act of 1998 (Public Law 105–277; 112 Stat.
2681–846) calls upon the United States to use its influ-
ence with the Government of Turkey to guarantee the se-
curity of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul and to
reopen the Theological School of Halki;
Whereas in November 1998, the Board of Trustees of the
Patriarchal Theological School of Halki was arbitrarily
dismissed by the General Authority for Public Institu-
tions, an agency of the Turkish Government;
Whereas freedom of religion is a universally recognized
human right and the Department of State’s report on
international religious freedom in Turkey cites the clo-
sure of the Theological School of Halki as a grave in-
fringement on religious freedom in Turkey which further-
more leads to the inability of the Greek Orthodox Church
to properly train new clergy for eventual leadership;
Whereas the closure of the Theological School of Halki by the
Government of Turkey has severely compromised the mis-
sion of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the future exist-
ence of this Orthodox Christian institution in Turkey;
•HCON 345 IH
Whereas Turkey was granted European Union candidacy sta-
tus in December 1999;
Whereas Turkey’s candidacy for European Union accession
will be subject to the full criteria established by the 1993
Copenhagen Council for all candidate states, including
issues concerning human rights and religious freedom;
and
Whereas it is in the best interests of the United States to es-
tablish peaceful relations with and among the many im-
portant nations of the world that have substantial Ortho-
dox Christian populations: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that—
(1) the United States should use its influence
with the Government of Turkey and as a permanent
member of the United Nations Security Council to
suggest that the Turkish Government—
(A) assure that positive steps are taken to
reopen the Theological School of Halki;
(B) provide for the proper protection and
safety of the Ecumenical Patriarch, Patri-
archate personnel, and visitors from all over the
world, including United States citizens; and
(C) establish conditions to ensure that the
Patriarchate is free to carry out its religious
mission; and
•HCON 345 IH
(2) the President should report to Congress on
the status and progress of the concerns in paragraph
(1) on an annual basis.
Æ