Senators Scott Brown (R-MA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) today introduced a bipartisan measure calling upon the Secretary of State to press Turkey to return stolen Christian church properties and allow full freedom of faith for religious minorities

Spearheaded by Senator Brown, who holds a seat on the Armed Services Committee, Senator Feinstein, who serves as Chairwoman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Senator Kirk, who serves on the Appropriations Committee, the measure  calls upon Turkey to return all confiscated Christian church properties, including "churches and other places of worship, monasteries, schools, hospitals, monuments, relics, holy sites, and other religious properties, including movable properties, such as artwork, manuscripts, vestments, vessels, and other artefacts."

It also directly addresses Turkey's obstruction of religious education, appointments, and succession within the Greek and Armenian churches. More broadly, the resolution calls upon the government of Turkey to honor its international obligations to end all forms of religious persecution and to protect the rights and religious freedoms of Christians.

An identical measure, introduced last June  was adopted overwhelming in Committee in July, and then approved by the full House with a voice vote in mid-December of 2011.