Bill Text: MO HR1365 | 2012 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urges the Turkish government to uphold and safeguard religious and human rights to its citizens and to respect the property and human rights of all religious and faith traditions
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2012-05-01 - Adopted (H) [HR1365 Detail]
Download: Missouri-2012-HR1365-Introduced.html
SECOND REGULAR SESSION
96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVES BAHR (Sponsor), JONES (89), LEACH, McCAHERTY, BERRY, TILLEY, ELLINGER, LASATER, BURLISON, KOENIG, ATKINS, OXFORD AND KELLEY (126) (Co-sponsors).
WHEREAS, the Orthodox Christian Church, in existence for nearly 2,000 years, numbers approximately 300 million members worldwide, with more than 2 million members in the United States;
WHEREAS, since 1453, the continuing presence of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Turkey has been a living testament to the religious coexistence of Christians and Muslims; 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 Missouri 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 Missouri 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 we, the members of the Missouri House of Representatives, Ninety-sixth General Assembly, 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.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chief Clerk of the Missouri House of Representatives be instructed to prepare a properly inscribed copy of this resolution.
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