Erdogan orders talks to reopen Orthodox Christian seminary in Turkiye, a focus for Trump
June 21, 2026 15:34
ANKARA: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan ordered officials on Sunday to resume talks on reopening an Orthodox Christian seminary near Istanbul, an issue raised by US President Donald Trump, who is expected to visit Ankara next month for a NATO summit.
The Halki seminary, founded in 1844 and shut by the Turkish state in 1971, played a central role in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Ecumenical Patriarchate's main theological school. It trained generations of Orthodox clergy, including the current patriarch Bartholomew, who is based in Istanbul.
Trump raised the issue in talks with Erdogan in Washington last year. Muslim and secular Turkiye has long faced pressure from Greece, the United States and European Union to reopen the theological school on Heybeliada island near Istanbul. Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, whose diocese covers Istanbul, said the issue had entered a "new phase" after Erdogan instructed Turkiye's higher education authority, to continue discussions with the Patriarchate's committee.
