U.S. Policy
"The United States has a great respect for
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who is a religious leader of world standing.
Promotion of religious freedom and human rights are integral to a U.S. foreign
policy." Official US Department of State posotion
Letter to Prime Minister of Turkey signed by record number of
U.S. Senators 42 of 50.
Read Letter: on Archon website
Read His Response: NONE to date
Who didn't sign and why? Click Here
Click
Here
National Archon Commander Dr Anthony
Limberakis
Archons' National Commander Protests Harassment of American Pilgrims
Click Here
Daniel Fried, Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs
Interview with Ali H.
Aslan from the Turkish newspaper Zaman
Washington, DC, July 3,
2006
“So
it is hardly radical of us to say that we wish Turkey would be welcoming and
help ease conditions for the functioning of the Greek Orthodox Church and
Ecumenical Patriarch, which is, after all, an institution with venerable roots
in the Ottoman period.”
Marc Grossman, Under Secretary for Political Affairs
Remarks to the Archon Business
Breakfast or click here
New York, NY,
July 28, 2004
“We remain concerned
about the Ecumenical Patriarchate's property rights and about regulations on
religious practices.”
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His All Holiness
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was awarded the
Congressional Gold Medal at impressive ceremonies in the Capitol
Rotunda, Washington, DC on October 21, 1997.
Click here to view the
Ecumenical Patriarch Congressional Gold Medal
In the 223 year existence of
the Congressional Gold Medal, only four
religious figures have been so honored. Mother Teresa was the fourth
religious figure to receive the Congressional Gold Medal. Coincidentally,
she passed away on the day that both the U.S. House of Representatives and
the
Senate independently exceeded the threshold of
cosponsor-ship for the awarding of the gold Medal to the fifth religious
figure in history - Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader
of over 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide and six million in
America.
The Congressional Gold Medal
is the highest and oldest honor that the Congress can bestow. It was first
given on March 25, 1776 to
George Washington. Throughout its history, the Congressional Gold
Medal has been selectively bestowed upon individuals who have been deemed
worthy of such recognition by the Congress, such as
Thomas Edison and
Winston Churchill.
In 1963, one hundred eighty
seven years after the first Congressional Gold Medal, the
Presidential
Medal of Freedom was established. Recipients of this medal are
selected by the
President
of
the
United
States.
The
Congressional Gold Medal, in contrast to the
Medal of Honor
and the
Medal
of Freedom, can only be granted by the Congress of the United States.
All three medals, however, are usually bestowed by the President of the
United States.
For the Congressional Gold
Medal to be awarded, overwhelming congressional support is necessary.
While the average bill in Congress typically receives approximately 40
cosponsors in the House and eight in the Senate, a Congressional Gold
medal requires at least 290 cosponsors in the House and 40 in the Senate
before it can be considered for adoption. The number of members of
Congress cosponsoring the legislation bestowing the Congressional Gold
Medal on Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew grew to 327, exceeding the
number on all other bills in the Congress in recent years.
For additional information
visit the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America |
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His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the
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Presentation of the Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony
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Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony For
His All Holiness
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
Capitol Rotunda, Washington, DC, October 21,
1997
For the Congressional Gold Medal to be awarded,
overwhelming congressional support is necessary. While the average bill
in Congress typically receives approximately 40 cosponsors in the House
and eight in the Senate, a Congressional Gold medal requires at least
290 cosponsors in the House and 40 in the Senate before it can be considered
for adoption. The number of members of Congress cosponsoring the legislation
bestowing the Congressional Gold Medal on Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
grew to 327, exceeding the number on all other bills in the Congress in
recent years.
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http://www.ecupatriarchate.org/media/
The United States has always had strong ties with the
Holy Patriarchate of
Constantinople.
