Halki Seminary to Reopen in September

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomeos announced during a visit to Athens, the capital of Greece, that the Halki Seminary — long a subject of contention — will reopen in September.

The seminary, located on Halki island off the coast of Istanbul, was closed in 1971 under Turkish laws that nationalized higher education. Since that date, the reopening of the school has remained a key issue in both Turkish-Greek relations and in dialogue between Turkey and the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The international community and various religious freedom organizations had repeatedly called for the school's reopening over the years.

The Patriarch's announcement is being viewed as a concrete step taken during the normalization process between the two countries. The reopening of the Halki Seminary will pave the way for the training of Orthodox clergy in Turkey and will help address long-standing concerns about the Ecumenical Patriarchate's future prospects.