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IN SR0006
Resolution
AI Summary
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Indiana Senate urges Turkey to cease discrimination against the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Orthodox Christian Church and grant appropriate international recognition and ecclesiastical succession rights.
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Turkish government has limited Ecumenical Patriarch eligibility to Turkish nationals only, confiscated nearly 94 percent of Patriarchate properties, and reneged on agreement to reopen the Theological School on Halki island closed in 1971.
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Orthodox Christian population in Turkey declined from millions at the turn of the 20th century to fewer than 3,000 today due to continued minority discrimination policies by the Turkish government.
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Turkey's treatment of the Ecumenical Patriarchate is inconsistent with European Union membership criteria requiring stability of institutions, democracy, rule of law, and protection of minorities and human rights.
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Resolution directs the Senate Secretary to transmit copies to the President of the United States, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, and Turkish Ambassador to the United States.
Legislative Description
A SENATE RESOLUTION urging the government of Turkey to cease its discrimination against the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Orthodox Christian Church, 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.