•HRES 838 IH 
Whereas Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is 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; 
Whereas Ecumenical Patriarchate Bartholomew was selected 
by Time Magazine as number 11 among 2008’s 100 most 
influential people in the world; 
Whereas Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew enhanced great-
er religious understanding by initiating a joint declara-
tion that it is man’s duty to protect the earth, signed by 
himself and Pope John Paul IV, the spiritual leaders of 
nearly 1 out of every 5 people in the world; 
Whereas Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is called ‘‘the 
Green Patriarch’’ by leaders of the international environ-
mental community; 
Whereas Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew received the 
prestigious Sophie Prize of Norway for his environmental 
work and also the internationally recognized Binding In-
stitute of Liechtenstein; 
Whereas the prize money was donated by His All Holiness to 
UNICEF’s fund for destitute children and for environ-
mental projects; 
Whereas Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has led sympo-
siums of international environmental leaders on the Adri-
atic, Aegean, Arctic, Baltic, and Black Seas, as well as 
the Amazon, Danube, and Mississippi Rivers, and His All 
Holiness was honored in New York through the Scenic 
Hudson River Initiative; 
Whereas the Religious, Science, and Environmental (RSE) 
symposia are organized under the auspices of His All Ho-
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•HRES 838 IH 
liness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the pioneer of 
this movement; 
Whereas patrons of past symposia have included Prince Phil-
ip, Duke of Edinburgh, Jacques Santer and Romano 
Prodi, Presidents of the European Commission, and 
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan; 
Whereas the symposia have also reached out across different 
faiths and denominations, revealing the wisdom of diverse 
theological traditions, as well as a common imperative to 
protect the natural world; 
Whereas during the 2002 Adriatic Sea Symposium, Pope 
John Paul II and Patriarch Bartholomew signed a joint 
declaration underlining the spiritual duty of caring for 
God’s creation in the interest of future generations; and 
Whereas the outstanding accomplishments of Ecumenical Pa-
triarch Bartholomew have been formally recognized and 
honored by numerous governmental, academic, and other 
institutions around the world: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) welcomes to the United States and to Wash-
ington, DC, His All Holiness Bartholomew, Arch-
bishop of Constantinople, New Rome, Ecumenical 
Patriarch, and recognizes the importance to the 
United States and the world of the Ecumenical Pa-
triarch’s recent environmental seminar conducted on 
the Mississippi River with some of the world’s lead-
ing environment experts; 
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•HRES 838 IH 
(2) recognizes the importance to the United 
States and to the world of Ecumenical Patriarch 
Bartholomew’s leadership on matters of environ-
ment, peace, and religion, and encourages United 
States foreign policy makers to continue to urge 
Turkey to grant religious freedom and property 
rights to the Ecumenical Patriarchate as well as to 
reopen the theological school at Halki; and 
(3) offers whatever support the United States 
can give to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s 
noble efforts for the betterment of human kind. 
Æ 
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