Halki Seminary Could Reopen in September After 50+ Years
The Halki Theological Seminary may reopen as soon as this September, more than 50 years after Turkey shut it down. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew made the announcement in Athens on May 7, saying renovation work on the school's buildings is nearing completion and a reopening ceremony is planned for September, God willing.
Turkey closed the seminary in 1971 under a law placing all religious and military education under state control. The last five students graduated in 1985, and the school has sat dormant ever since. The seminary trained generations of Greek Orthodox Church leaders, including Patriarch Bartholomew himself, who is widely regarded as the spiritual leader of nearly 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide.
The United States and the European Union have been pressing Turkey to reopen the school for years. President Trump raised the issue directly with Turkish President Erdogan during a White House meeting last September, according to U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack. Barrack brought it up again in December, when he first signaled that a September 2026 reopening was possible.
Turkey's government declined to comment on the Bloomberg report that first broke the news on Sunday. Ankara also does not recognize Bartholomew's ecumenical title, a long-standing point of tension with the Orthodox world.
The Halki Seminary sits on the island of Heybeliada in the Sea of Marmara, just off Istanbul. Its reopening would mark one of the most significant developments in Turkey's relationship with the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate in decades. No formal confirmation has come from Ankara.
