By: Whitmire, Carona S.R. No. 36
(In the Senate - Filed June 14, 2011; June 16, 2011, read
first time and referred to Committee on Business and Commerce;
June 20, 2011, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 7,
Nays 0; June 20, 2011, sent to printer.)
SENATE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Orthodox Christian Church, in existence for
nearly 2,000 years, numbers approximately 300 million members
worldwide, with more than two million members in the United States;
and
WHEREAS, Since 1453, the continuing presence of the
Ecumenical Patriarchate in Turkey has been a living testament to
religious coexistence; and
WHEREAS, This religious coexistence is in doubt because the
Ecumenical Patriarchate is considered a minority religion by the
Turkish government; and
WHEREAS, There were millions of Orthodox Christians living in
Turkey at the turn of the 20th century, but there remain fewer than
3,000 in Turkey today; and
WHEREAS, Orthodox Christians in Texas and throughout the
United States stand to lose their spiritual leader; and
WHEREAS, While there have been difficulties in the past with
the relationship of the Orthodox Christian Church and the Turkish
government, certain recent actions by the Turkish government
suggest an interest in improving its relationship with and
treatment of the Orthodox Christian Church, and such actions are
acknowledged and welcomed; and
WHEREAS, The people of Texas desire to encourage continued
dialogue and communication between the leadership of the Turkish
government and the Orthodox Christian Church, such as recent
high-level meetings between Turkish officials and the Ecumenical
Patriarchate; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 82nd
Legislature, 1st Called Session, hereby urge the government of
Turkey to uphold and safeguard religious and human rights of all its
citizens without compromise, to grant the Ecumenical Patriarch
appropriate international recognition, ecclesiastical succession,
and the right to train clergy of all nationalities, and to respect
the property rights and human rights of the Ecumenical Patriarchate
and all religious and faith traditions.
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