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Sarbanes, Hellenic Caucus Co-Chairs Urge Turkey to Respect the Rights and Freedoms of the Ecumenical Patriarchate

August 25, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) today joined Hellenic Caucus co-chairs Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) in co-sponsoring and introducing H.Res. 1050, a resolution demanding that Turkey respect the religious rights and freedoms of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

The resolution comes after years of religious repression in Turkey and follows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent decision to declare Hagia Sophia a mosque, breaking an 80-year tradition of opening the UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site to all people, faiths and religious.

"The Erdogan regime must end its authoritarian crackdown on civil rights and religious freedom," said Congressman Sarbanes. "That begins by respecting the rights of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and reopening the Halki Seminary – the main school of theology for the Eastern Orthodox Church's Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople."

See here for more information about the resolution.

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