Welcoming Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Washington, D.C.

Floor Speech

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Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to warmly welcome the spiritual head of the Eastern Orthodox Church, His All- Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, to Washington, D.C.

The longest-serving Archbishop of Constantinople in the history of Christianity, the Ecumenical Patriarch will arrive in the United States this month to receive the distinguished Templeton Prize. This prestigious award will be presented in recognition of his ``pioneering efforts to bridge scientific and spiritual understandings of humanity's relationship with the natural world, bringing together people of different faiths to heed a call for stewardship of creation.''

Guiding the world's 300 million Eastern Orthodox Christians since his election in 1991, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has been a powerful voice for our common responsibilities to one another--our shared obligation to defend the freedom, dignity, and wellbeing of our neighbors and of future generations.

I am especially grateful for the impact his leadership has had on Orthodox Christians across the United States, particularly the more than 600 families at St. Demetrios Church in Weston, Massachusetts. For decades, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has had the deepest respect of the American people and of this institution--an abiding admiration reflected in Congress' decision to award him the Congressional Gold Medal in 1997.

Today, the Ecumenical Patriarch continues to bring together people of all faiths in the pursuit of peace, mutual respect, and a future more worthy of our children. I join my colleagues in commending his invaluable work, and I proudly join my Orthodox constituents in welcoming him back to the United States.

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