On Thursday, May 12, 2011, NY Senators Dean Skelos and Michael Gianaris together with Assemblywomen Aravella Simotas and Nicole Malliotakis, presented religious freedom letters to His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios, Exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. All 62 members of the New York State Senate and 144 members of the New York State Assembly signed these letters calling for the Turkish Government to cease its discrimination of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Holy See for millions of Orthodox Christians in the United States and around the world.

Senator Michael Gianaris also noted the importance of the bipartisan effort, stating: “The future of Orthodox Christianity is being threatened by the Turkish government’s oppressive policies restricting the full exercise of religion in its country. I am pleased that the New York State Senate has taken a bipartisan stand for religious freedom and look forward to the day when people of all faiths feel free to worship as they see fit.”

Learn more at archons.org/resolutions
(Photos by D. Panagos and J. Mindala)