The campaign of Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan<\/b> could change the political climate in the U.S. and Europe<\/b>, while Athens is closely monitoring<\/b> the developments<\/b>.<\/p>\n
The future of the Halki Theological School<\/b> is once again at the center of international developments<\/b>, as Ankara considers a new framework for its reopening that is directly linked to its relations with Turkey<\/b> with the United States<\/b>, the European Union, and Greece<\/b>. The historic School, which has remained closed since 1971<\/b>, is back on the agenda through a complex diplomatic dialogue<\/b>, in which the Erdo\u011fan factor<\/b>, interventions by Washington, and European demands for religious freedoms<\/b> are shaping a new reality<\/b>. Its potential reopening is not merely a matter of religious education<\/b>, but is evolving into a barometer of the climate of trust<\/b> in the region, Ankara\u2019s stance toward the Ecumenical Patriarchate<\/b> and the broader direction of Greek-Turkish<\/b> relations.<\/p>\n
Turkey plans to allow the reopening<\/b>, the Theological School of Halki<\/b> as a university institution<\/b>, after more than 50 years<\/b>. A move that according to Bloomberg<\/b>, aims to please U.S. President Donald Trump<\/b>, as its reopening has long been a key demand of both the EU and the U.S.<\/b>.<\/p>\nBloomberg\u2019s sources<\/h3>\n
The issue of reopening the Halki Theological School is back in the spotlight ahead of Donald Trump\u2019s expected visit to Ankara for thenext month and as part of Turkey\u2019s effort to open a new chapter in its relations with both the U.S. and the EU.<\/p>\n
Bloomberg, citing sources, reported that the plan for the Halki Theological School, located on an island near Istanbul, calls for the admission of students through Turkey\u2019s national quota system, while the Ministry of Education will oversee the curricula.<\/p>\n
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, discussed the possible reopening of the School during a meeting held on Tuesday in Ankara with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan. The talks between Bartholomew and Erdo\u011fan took place in a \u201cwarm atmosphere,\u201d according to a statement from the Ecumenical Patriarchate.<\/p>\n
The reopening of the Theological School is important for the Patriarchate\u2019s ability to train future senior clergy. The Theological School, founded in 1844, was closed by the Turkish government in 1971. Bartholomew, with the support of Greece, the European Union, and the United States, has long been campaigning for its reopening.<\/p>\n
At a particularly significant juncture for relations between the Turkish state and the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew met in Ankara with the President of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan, on Tuesday, June 16, 2026.<\/p>\n
The meeting took place at the Presidential Palace and, according to the Patriarchate\u2019s official announcement, was held in a cordial atmosphere, focusing on issues concerning the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Greek community of Istanbul, and outstanding matters that have remained unresolved for decades.<\/p>\n
Particular emphasis was placed on the issue of reopening the Theological School of Halki, an issue of great symbolic significance both for Orthodoxy and for Turkey\u2019s relations with the international community. According to the Patriarchate, during the meeting, the progress of the ongoing discussions between the Phanar, the Turkish Ministry of Education, and the country\u2019s Council of Higher Education regarding the future of the School.<\/p>\n
It should be noted that Halki has remained closed since 1971, when its operations were suspended following a ruling by the Turkish Constitutional Court regarding private institutions of higher education. For the Ecumenical Patriarchate, its reopening is a matter of strategic importance, as it is the historic theological center for the education of its clergy. In recent years, and particularly following interventions by the United States, the European Union, and international ecclesiastical bodies, the issue has returned forcefully to the agenda.<\/p>\n
Expectations for a positive outcome have grown in recent months. Patriarch Bartholomew himself, in recent public statements, has expressed optimism that the School could resume operations once the ongoing restoration work is completed. At the same time, Turkish media and government circles have hinted that Ankara is seriously considering a model for resuming its operations.<\/p>\n
In addition to Halki, the meeting addressed issues concerning the presence and rights of the Greek diaspora in Turkey.<\/p>\n
Specifically, regarding the issue of religious freedoms, the international press views the issue of Halki as an \u201cindicator\u201d of Turkey\u2019s stance toward religious freedoms and non-Muslim communities. The reopening of the School has been a demand of the U.S., European institutions, and international organizations for decades.<\/p>\n
In fact, according to international observers, the meeting between Bartholomew and Erdo\u011fan is part of a broader effort to improve Turkey\u2019s international image regarding religious freedoms. It is also worth noting that yesterday\u2019s meeting did not take place in a political vacuum. Since 2024, an institutional dialogue has been underway between the Turkish government and the Patriarchate regarding the reopening of the Theological School of Halki, while Bartholomew himself has repeatedly stated that he expects it to resume operations in 2026.<\/p>\n
After all, the reopening of Halki is a long-standing demand not only of the Ecumenical Patriarchate but also of Washington, European institutions, and a large part of the Orthodox world. As early as the fall of 2025, President Erdo\u011fan had left open the possibility of positive developments, and the issue had even been raised during his meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan\u2019s move could change the climate with the U.S. and Europe, while Athens is closely monitoring developments. The day after for …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11573,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11572","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11572"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11572\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11573"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}