U.S. Congresswoman Calls On Turkey To Protect Religious Freedom

U.S. CONGRESSWOMAN CALLS ON TURKEY TO PROTECT RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

PanARMENIAN.Net
November 19, 2011 – 10:23 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Congresswoman Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) released
the following statement on November 18 to announce her co-sponsorship
of House Resolution 306, “Urging the Republic of Turkey to Safeguard
its Christian Heritage and to Return Confiscated Church Properties”:

“The freedom to worship and practice your religious faith is a right
that should be protected and available to all. That is why I am proud
to join fellow colleagues in calling on the Turkish government to
right previous injustices and return confiscated religious sites to
their rightful owners.

“These sites hold special cultural and religious significance for
the groups who lost them. As a signatory to the Declaration of Human
Rights to provide religious rights, I hope that Turkey will return
these sites to the appropriate parties so that they can be restored
and preserved for future generations.”

House Resolution 306 calls on the Turkish government to return
confiscated Christian churches, schools, monasteries, hospitals,
monuments, relics, holy sites and other religious properties to their
rightful owners for preservation and restoration.