The focus is on the reopening of the Theological School of Halki at meeting of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew – Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara, with discussions taking place in a positive atmosphere.
In a particularly tense diplomatic climate for relations Church–Turkey and with the issue of religious education for minorities having remained unresolved for decades, today’s meeting in Ankara between Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğanbrings back into the spotlight the long-standing demand for the reopening of the Theological School of Halki. The issue, which is directly linked to the institutional role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the rights of the Greek diaspora in Istanbul, was examined at a high political level, within the framework of an already active dialogue with the Turkish educational authorities, creating new developments surrounding an issue with significant historical and geopolitical weight.
The prospect of reopening the Holy Theological School of Halki was at the center of today’s meeting in Ankara between Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The announcement
According to an announcement by the Patriarchate, the discussion focused particularly on the issue of the Holy Theological School of Halki and the prospect of its reopening, within the framework of the dialogue that has already begun between the Turkish Ministry of National Education, the Higher Education Council (YÖK), and the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
The meeting took place in a positive atmosphere, with the Ecumenical Patriarch expressing his gratitude to the Turkish president for their meeting.
According to the statement, the two sides had the opportunity to discuss, “in a cordial atmosphere,” issues concerning the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Greek community of Istanbul.
The Ecumenical Patriarch was accompanied by Metropolitan Elder Emmanuel of Chalcedon, the senior hierarch of the Ecumenical Throne and one of Bartholomew’s closest associates, as well as Bishop Cassian of Arabissos and the abbot of the Holy Trinity Monastery of Chalki, where the Theological School is located.
