Recognizing His All-Holiness Bartholomew

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. DOGGETT. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to recognize Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch, His All-Holiness Bartholomew.

Born Demetrios Arhondonis in 1940 on the island of Imvros (today, Gokceada, Turkey), His All-Holiness Bartholomew was elected in October 1991 as the 270th Archbishop of the 2000-year-old Church founded by the Apostle Andrew. His formal office is Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome, and Ecumenical Patriarch, a historic title dating to the sixth century.

The role of the Ecumenical Patriarch as the primary spiritual leader of the Orthodox Christian world and transnational figure of global significance has increased exponentially during the tenure of His All- Holiness.

He has co-sponsored international peace conferences, as well as meetings about racism and fundamentalism, bringing together Christians, Muslims and Jews for the purpose of advancing greater cooperation and mutual understanding. He has advanced Christian-Muslim relations in such places as former Yugoslavia, advocating for peace-building measures to diffuse global conflict in the region, while supporting many traditionally Orthodox countries emerging from decades of wide scale religious persecution and oppression behind the Iron Curtain. Moreover, he has initiated international meetings and theological conversations with Muslim and Jewish leaders to promote mutual respect and religious tolerance on a global level, proving a pioneer in interfaith encounters and traveling to Muslim countries rarely visited by Christian leaders.

He has organized international, inter-faith and inter-disciplinary symposia and summits to address ecological problems of the world, earning him the title ``Green Patriarch'' and prestigious international awards. His efforts to promote religious freedom and human rights, his initiatives to advance religious tolerance among the world's religions, together with his work toward international peace and environmental protection, have justly placed him at the forefront of global visionaries as an apostle of love, peace and reconciliation.

In 1997, he was awarded the Gold Medal of the United States Congress. The Guardian recognized him as one of the world's leaders in raising environmental awareness. And, in its category of Leaders and revolutionaries, Time Magazine named him as one of the world's most influential people. Now, he is being rightfully honored with the Templeton Prize, previously received by Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, among others. Congratulations to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on this honor and I thank him for his life of service.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source