John Rice Carter: “I rise today to welcome to America His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. He is the spiritual head of the…”

“I rise today to welcome to America His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. He is the spiritual head of the second-largest Christian church in the world and leads over a million Greek Orthodox in the U.S. He is here this month to meet with government leaders and to receive the distinguished Templeton Prize. Throughout His All-Holiness' decades as Ecumenical Patriarch, he has sought to bring together people of all faiths to combat religious intolerance and enhance understanding. He convened an interfaith international conference on Peace and Religious Tolerance in Istanbul. The conference brought together Christians, Jews, and Muslims to find ways to encourage understanding and peaceful coexistence among followers of the three faiths. The Patriarch has been honored also by the United Nations, the European Union, and dozens of governments, universities, and institutions. In 1997, he was honored with the Congressional Gold Medal. Mr. Speaker, I welcome His All-Holiness to the United States.”