Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday instructed officials to restart discussions on reopening the historic Halki Orthodox Christian seminary near Istanbul, an issue previously raised by US President Donald Trump, who is scheduled to visit Ankara next month for a NATO summit.
Background of the Halki Seminary
The Halki seminary, founded in 1844, was shut down by the Turkish state in 1971. It served as the main theological school for the Eastern Orthodox Church under the Ecumenical Patriarchate, training generations of Orthodox clergy, including the current Patriarch Bartholomew, who resides in Istanbul.
Trump’s Involvement and International Pressure
Trump brought up the issue during his talks with Erdogan in Washington last year. Muslim-majority and secular Turkey has long faced pressure from Greece, the United States, and the European Union to reopen the theological school on Heybeliada island near Istanbul.
Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, whose diocese covers Istanbul, stated that the matter has entered a "new phase" after Erdogan directed Turkey's higher education authority to continue discussions with the Patriarchate's committee. Although no timetable has been set for the reopening, Metropolitan Emmanuel remarked: "For the Patriarchate, after decades of inaction, the water has entered the trough," indicating that institutional work has commenced.
Renovation and Legal Framework
Emmanuel added that both sides still need to complete renovation work on the building complex and agree on the legal and educational framework under which the seminary would operate. The Halki seminary was closed in 1971 following a Constitutional Court ruling that private higher education institutions must be affiliated with state universities, a requirement the Patriarchate rejected.
