Revival hopes grow for long-closed Halki seminary off Istanbul
Hopes are growing that a long-closed Greek Orthodox seminary on an island off Istanbul could reopen soon, with formulas for its new status under discussion, Bishop Aravissu Kassianos Nikolar told AFP.
Located on Heybeliada, one of the Princes’ Islands, the Halki seminary opened in the mid-19th century and was the main theological school for the Eastern Orthodox Church until it was closed under a Turkish law in 1971.
Despite decades of pressure on Ankara to reopen it, led by Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I, leader of the world’s 260 million Orthodox Christians and a graduate of the seminary, the school has remained closed.
But the seminary made headlines in September 2025 when U.S. President Donald Trump raised the issue with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, raising hopes the deadlock could soon be broken.
