July 14, 1999 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 16027

Ms. DEGETTE. Mr. Chairman, I rise today national Orthodox Churches, and Cardinal Ed- split away from Byzantine Christianity before to express my support for the amendment of- ward Cassidy, who represented Pope John the Great Schism of 1054, which divided the fered by the gentleman from California. Paul II. Eastern and Western Churches. Christianity Mr. Chairman, we don’t need any more tim- Messages of condolence on the passing of was brought to Armenia by the apostles Jude ber roads. Construction of timber roads uses Karekin I have been sent to the religious and and Bartholomew. King Trdat III proclaimed U.S. taxpayer dollars to pay for the business national leaders of Armenia from around the Armenia a Christian country in AD 301, 36 costs of the timber industry, and results in the world. President Clinton stated, ‘‘His Holiness years before Emperor Constantine I, the first degradation of soil, water quality and wildlife was widely respected for his deep scholarship, Christian ruler of the Roman Empire, was bap- habitat. deep sense of principle and his sincere devo- tized. During the many years that Armenia We have over 440,000 miles of roads in our tion to the broadcast possible ecumenical dia- lived under often hostile foreign domination, National Forests, the vast majority of which logue.’’ President Kocharian noted that the Armenian Apostolic Church was the focus are for logging. If you pull out your calculator, Karekin I had the fortunate distinction to be of the national aspirations and identity for the Mr. Chairman, you’ll find that 440,000 miles is one of the few Supreme Patriarchs to serve as Armenian people. To this day, the Armenian enough to encircle the globe 17 times; that’s Catholicos of All Armenians in an independent Church is a major focal point for all Arme- ten times more road miles than we have in the Armenia. nians, those living in Armenia and Nagorno Interstate Highway System. Last week, an Ecclesiastical Council, com- Karabagh, and the millions of others in the Ar- These timber roads initiate erosion of soil, posed of the 49 bishops and archbishops, menian Diaspora, including more than one mil- deposit sedimentation into streams, damage elected Archbishop Nerses Pozapalian as lion Armenian-Americans. water quality, degrade fish habitat, fragment Locum Tenens to run the affairs of the Mr. Speaker, on this occasion, I join with the wildlife habitat, disrupt wildlife migration Catholicosate until a new Catholicos is elect- Armenian people in mourning the passing of routes, and destroy the quiet beauty of our ed. Archbishop Pozapalian, who is 62 years Karekin I, a great man who leaves a towering National Forests. The taxpayer ends up pay- old, was born in Turkey but educated in Arme- legacy. ing the cost for these damages—and too often nia. Although the traditions of the church dic- f the damage cannot be undone. These timber tate that an election should take place after a roads also give timber companies subsidized six-month wait, a change in the rules has HONORING THE WORK OF HARRY access to our natural resources. I don’t think been proposed to permit an election before SWAIM that’s smart horse-trading, Mr. Chairman. the year 2000 so that the Armenian Apostolic Over the recent recess I took a three-day Church could fully participate in the Jerusalem HON. BART GORDON hiking and horseback trip through some of the commemorations of the second millennium of OF TENNESSEE beautiful federal lands in my home state of Christ’s birth. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Colorado. Over each hilltop, crossing each Mr. Speaker, Karekin was born in Syria in Wednesday, July 14, 1999 1932, baptized as Neshan Sarkissian. He was stream and river, coming across beautiful vis- Mr. GORDON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to educated at Oxford in England, and held top tas, one after another—I found myself thinking honor Harry Swaim and his nearly 45 years of church positions in New York, Lebanon and what an unforgivable crime it would be to work for the Communications Workers of Iran. He was a unique individual in the way he squander these resources. The next time my America, which has a nationwide membership combined a deep reverence for one of the colleagues return to their districts, I urge them of more than 600,000. Harry tenure with the world’s oldest religious traditions with a very to take to the natural areas, and see first hand organization will soon come to an end, though. modern word view. He fluently spoke Arme- what I’m speaking about. I returned from my He has decided to retire on Aug. 7. nian, English, French, and Arabic. He was trip resolved to redouble my attempts to con- As a state representative for the union, Har- equally at home in meetings with the leaders serve these resources for future generations. ry’s invaluable experience and caring attitude of other religions, and with leaders of foreign And I believe a good place to start is to helped advance the union’s many worthy governments and international institutions like eliminate the subsidized creation of more tim- causes. His tireless service to the organization the World Bank. ber roads. I urge my colleagues to support the reveals his genuine concern about the mem- In 1991, Armenia—the first nation to em- Miller amendment to protect roadless areas in bership. Harry truly exemplifies all that is good brace Christianity as its national religion our National Forest System. about organized labor. He is certainly a fixture achieved its independence from the officially f within the CWA and will be sorely missed by atheist Soviet Union. Four years later, Karekin the entire membership. IN MEMORIAM: KAREKIN I, was elected as the 131st leader of the Arme- I have known Harry for more than 20 years CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS nian Church, after the death of Vazgen I, who and consider him a close friend. He has given had served for 40 years. At that point, he took me lots of good advice over the years, and I up residence in the Armenian town of HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR. thank him for that. I congratulate Harry for his Echmiadzin, the seat of the Armenian Church. OF NEW JERSEY admirable and distinguished career and wish Mr. Speaker, I consider myself fortunate to IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES him lots of luck in future endeavors. have had the opportunity to meet Karekin, Wednesday, July 14, 1999 both here in the United States, and also at f Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to Echmiadzin. He was a man of deep faith and CREDIT FOR VOLUNTARY ACTIONS pay tribute to one of the world’s great religious spirituality. But he also addressed very worldly ACT—H.R. 2520 leaders, who recently passed away. concerns, such as calling for a peaceful solu- On June 29th, Armenia’s Catholicos, tion to the Nargorno Karabagh conflict and se- HON. RICK LAZIO Karekin I, died at the age of 66. The curing Armenia’s place in a free and pros- OF NEW YORK Catholicos is essentially equivalent to the perous world. In what promised to be a major IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ‘‘pope’’ of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Ar- breakthrough in relations between different menia’s President Robert Kocharyan declared branches of Christianity, Pope John Paul II Wednesday, July 14, 1999 three days of official mourning, from July 6th had been scheduled to visit Armenia. Unfortu- Mr. LAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I am introducing through the 8th. Funeral services for the nately, the serious illness of the Catholicos, as today legislation designed to encourage vol- Catholicos were held on July 8th in the Cathe- well as the Pope’s recent health concerns, untary actions by industry to reduce the poten- dral of Echmiadzin. The principal celebrant of caused that visit to be put off. As a Roman tial environmental problems caused by green- the four-hour funeral rite was Aram, I, Catholic with deep concern for the Armenian house gas emissions. The Credit for Voluntary Catholicos of Cilicia, the sister Catholicosate people, I hope that a meeting between the Actions Act represents what I believe is a of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Thousands leaders of these two great churches will even- ‘‘New Environmentalism’’—a new way to look of Armenians were joined by religious leaders tually take place. at how all of these groups can partner to- from around the world, including the Armenian Mr. Speaker, the Armenian Apostolic gether to effect change in the way business Church Patriarchs of Jerusalem and Con- Church—which will celebrate its 1,700th anni- affects the environment. stantinople (Istanbul). Also participating in the versary in the year 2001—is one of the so- I am proud to say that with the passage of funeral mass were the heads of a number of called Ancient Churches of the East which this Credit for Voluntary Actions legislation,

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