*LRB09808249GRL38347r* SR007009800SR0070 Enrolled LRB098 08249 GRL 38347 r SENATE RESOLUTION WHEREAS,NO. 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;

70 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, Following the terrorist attacks on our nation on September 11, 2001, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew gathered SR007009800SR0070 Enrolled -2- LRB098 08249 GRL 38347 r 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, The Government of Turkey has limited the candidates available to hold the office of Ecumenical Patriarch SR007009800SR0070 Enrolled -3- LRB098 08249 GRL 38347 r to only Turkish nationals, and from the millions of Orthodox Christians living in Turkey at the turn of the 20th century and due to the continued policies during this period by the Turkish government, there remain less than 3,000 of the Ecumenical Patriarch's flock left in Turkey today;

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 SR007009800SR0070 Enrolled -4- LRB098 08249 GRL 38347 r democracy, adherence to the rule of law, and respect for and protection of minorities and human rights;

therefore,and beWHEREAS, itWe RESOLVED,rightly BYappreciate THEthat SENATEthe OFcurrent THETurkish NINETY-EIGHTHgovernment GENERALhas ASSEMBLYmade OFpositive THEimprovements STATEover OFthe ILLINOIS,last that8 weyears urgein theits Governmentrelation ofto Turkeythe toEcumenical upholdPatriarchate andwith safeguardrespect religiousto andthe humanreturn rightsof withouttwo compromise,significant ceaseproperties itsformerly discriminationin ofdispute, thewith Ecumenicalrespect Patriarchate,to grantallowing theOrthodox Ecumenicalclergy Patriarchatein appropriatelands SR0070outside 09800SR0070 Enrolled -5- LRB098 08249 GRL 38347 r internationalTurkey recognition,to ecclesiasticapply succession,and thegain rightcitizenship in Turkey to trainhelp clergyensure the possibility of allpatriarchal nationalities,succession, and towith respect to the propertyphysical rightssecurity andof humanthe rightsEcumenical ofPatriarchate in the Ecumenicalrecent Patriarchate;uncovering and thwarting of a plotted assassination of Patriarch Bartholomew;

and WHEREAS, We recognize that the current Turkish government has continued to negotiate and publicly address these and other related issues with a commitment to their resolution in a manner acceptable to all interested parties;

therefore, be it RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the Government of Turkey to uphold and safeguard religious and human rights without compromise, cease its discrimination of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, grant the Ecumenical Patriarchate appropriate international recognition, ecclesiastic succession, the right to train clergy of all nationalities, and to respect the property rights and human rights of the Ecumenical Patriarchate;