SR0103 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0103 LRB102 17022 MST 22445 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate wish to recognize Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople on the historic 30th anniversary of his election on October 22, 1991 and his elevation on November 2, 1991 as the 270th Archbishop of Constantinople New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch; and

WHEREAS, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was born to Christos and Merope Archontonis in the village of Zeytinli on the island of Imbros; and

WHEREAS, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew belongs to the historically indigenous Rum, descendants of the Eastern Roman Empire/Byzantine Empire Greek community in Turkey; and

WHEREAS, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew attended elementary school in his native Imbros and continued his secondary education in the famous Zographeion Lyceum in Constantinople; soon afterward, he studied theology as an undergraduate at the Patriarchal Theological School of Halki; he graduated with highest honors in 1961 and was immediately ordained deacon, receiving the name Bartholomew; from 1963 to 1968, he pursued his postgraduate studies at the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome, the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey in Switzerland, and the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich in Germany; his doctoral research was on the Canon Law; after returning to Constantinople in 1968, he took a position at the Patriarchal Theological Seminary of Halki; and

WHEREAS, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was ordained a priest on October 19, 1969 by Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I; and

WHEREAS, When Demetrius I became Ecumenical Patriarch in 1972 and established the Patriarchal Office, he selected Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew as its director; on Christmas of 1973, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew became Metropolitan of Philadelphia and was renamed as director of the patriarchal office until his enthronement as Metropolitan of Chalcedon in 1990; and

WHEREAS, On October 22, 1991, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was elected the 270th Archbishop of Constantinople New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch, for which his enthronement ceremony took place on November 2, 1991 in the Patriarchal Cathedral in the Phanar; and

WHEREAS, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is the longest-serving Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople in the history of Christianity; and

WHEREAS, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is recognized in the United States and abroad as a leader in the quest for world peace, greater religious understanding, and respect for the Earth's environment; and

WHEREAS, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is the spiritual leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church with millions of Orthodox Christians around the world and in the United States, with a significant population here in Illinois and the City of Chicago; and

WHEREAS, On his first official visit to the United States in 1997, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew received the Congressional Gold Medal, presented by the United States on behalf of Congress in recognition of his outstanding and enduring contributions to religious understanding and peace; he was recognized by the United States in a manner reserved for a very small number of world leaders; and

WHEREAS, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew enhanced greater religious understanding by initiating a joint declaration stating that it is man's duty to protect the earth, signed by himself and Pope John Paul II, the spiritual leaders of nearly one out of every five people in the world; and

WHEREAS, House Resolution 666 of the 95th General Assembly passed the Illinois House of Representatives on October 4, 2007, followed by Senate Resolution 70 of the 98th, which passed the Illinois State Senate on May 31, 2013, both remarked on Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew's importance to the State of Illinois and his accomplishments; and

WHEREAS, House Resolution 348 of the 101st General Assembly passed the Illinois House of Representatives on May 30, 2019, recognized the 50th anniversary of Priesthood for Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, and remarked on his importance to the State of Illinois and his accomplishments; and

WHEREAS, The outstanding accomplishments of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew have been formally recognized and honored by numerous governmental, academic, and other institutions around the world; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we declare October 22, 2021 as Ecumenical See of Constantinople Day in order to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the elevation of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we recognize the continuing and historic service by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we recognize the importance to Illinois, the United States, and to the world of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew's leadership on matters of the environment, peace, and religion and encourage United States foreign policy makers to continue to urge Turkey to grant religious freedom and property rights to the Ecumenical Patriarchate as well as to reopen the theological school at Halki; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we express our support for Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew's noble efforts for the betterment of humankind; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew as a symbol of our respect and esteem.