Washington, DC - Last month, the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly), the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, and the Knights of Vartan Ani Lodge, joined Members of the Armenian Caucus and Hellenic Caucus on Capitol Hill for the first annual St. Andrew's Human Rights and Religious Freedom reception. Organized by Hellenic and Armenian Caucus member Congressman John Sarbanes (D-MD), the reception was hosted by Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Chris Smith (R-NJ) of the Helsinki Commission, Representatives Frank Wolf (R-VA) and James P. McGovern (D-MA) of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, Representatives Trent Franks (R-AZ) and Heath Shuler (D-NC) of the International Religious Freedom Caucus, and Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) of the Hellenic Caucus. The State Department's Ambassador-at-Large for Religious Freedom, Suzan Johnson Cook, Senator Ben Cardin, Co-Chair of the Helsinki Commission, Senator Robert Menendez, and sixteen Representatives, many who sit on both the Armenian Caucus and Hellenic Caucus, were on hand illustrating the growing support among Members of Congress in protecting religious freedom at home and abroad. In fact, just this week, the House of Representatives unanimously adopted H. Res. 306. Introduced by Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Ed Royce (R-CA), H. Res. 306 urges the Republic of Turkey to safeguard its Christian heritage and to return confiscated church properties. Rep. Sarbanes joined his Armenian Caucus colleagues in speaking in support of H. Res. 306 on the House floor. "The Armenian Assembly and the greater Armenian-American community know first-hand the effect religious discrimination and persecution have on people," stated Assembly Grassroots Director Taniel Koushakjian. "For far too long the Turkish government has pursued a policy that provokes, discriminates and fails to protect religious minorities against extremists and ultranationalists, as evidenced by the 2006 murder of Father Santoro, the 2007 murder of Hrant Dink, the 2010 murder of Roman Catholic Bishop Padovese and the decades-long attempt to expunge the Ecumenical Patriarchate from Turkey," stated Koushakjian. Opening remarks on the history of the Ecumenical Patriarchate were offered by Peter Marudas. Ambassador Johnson Cook also spoke to the Obama Administration's support for the Greek Ecumenical Patriarchate. These remarks were followed by a presentation of "The Apostle of Love, Hope and Reconciliation," a short documentary film about the mission of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. The event was widely attended by the Pan-Orthodox community and others who support the Ecumenical Patriarchate in its struggle for human rights and religious freedom. The many Members of Congress who came to offer their best wishes were given a brochure detailing the plight of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and a replica coin of the Congressional Gold Medal awarded to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew by the U.S. Congress. "I was pleased to see so many Members of Congress attend and delighted to join the Armenian-American community in support of our Christian and Hellenic brothers," stated Rev. Fr. Hovsep Karapetian from St. Mary Armenian Church in Washington, DC who was present at the event. "Patriarch Bartholomew is a very well respected voice in the Orthodox Church and his work is important to addressing our mutual concerns, especially in the context of human rights and religious freedom," stated Fr. Karapetian. St. Andrew is the patron saint of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and on November 30th he is venerated in both the Western and Eastern Churches.. Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.

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