| 1 | House Resolution |
| 2 | A resolution commending Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew |
| 3 | for his dedication to religious and human rights and his |
| 4 | valuable contributions to global conflict resolution and |
| 5 | peace. |
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| 7 | WHEREAS, the Ecumenical Patriarchate, located in Istanbul, |
| 8 | Turkey, is the Sacred See that presides in a spirit of |
| 9 | brotherhood over a communion of self-governing churches of the |
| 10 | Orthodox Christian world, and |
| 11 | WHEREAS, the See is led by Ecumenical Patriarch |
| 12 | Bartholomew, who is 269th in direct succession to the Apostle |
| 13 | Andrew and holds titular primacy as primus inter pares, meaning |
| 14 | "first among equals," in the community of the Orthodox churches |
| 15 | worldwide, and |
| 16 | WHEREAS, in 1994, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, along |
| 17 | with leaders of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, cosponsored |
| 18 | the Conference on Peace and Tolerance, which brought together |
| 19 | Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religious leaders for an |
| 20 | interfaith dialogue to help end the Balkan conflict and the |
| 21 | ethnic conflict in the Caucasus region, and |
| 22 | WHEREAS, in 1997, the Congress of the United States awarded |
| 23 | Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew with the Congressional Gold |
| 24 | Medal, and |
| 25 | WHEREAS, following the terrorist attacks on our nation on |
| 26 | September 11, 2001, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew gathered a |
| 27 | group of international religious leaders to produce the first |
| 28 | joint statement with Muslim leaders that condemned those attacks |
| 29 | as "antireligious," and |
| 30 | WHEREAS, the Orthodox Christian Church, in existence for |
| 31 | nearly 2,000 years, numbers approximately 300 million members |
| 32 | worldwide with more than 2 million members in the United States, |
| 33 | NOW, THEREFORE, |
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| 35 | Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of |
| 36 | Florida: |
| 37 |
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| 38 | That Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is recognized for his |
| 39 | commitment to promoting peace and tolerance among various faiths |
| 40 | and for his valuable contributions to ethnic and religious |
| 41 | conflict resolution worldwide. |
| 42 | BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be |
| 43 | presented to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew as a tangible |
| 44 | token of the sentiments expressed herein. |