The Turkish government is reportedly considering the reopening of the historic Halki Theological School as a university institution, according to a Bloomberg report, in a move that could resolve one of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s longest-standing concerns.
The initiative is said to be part of broader efforts to improve relations between Ankara and Washington and responds to long-standing calls from both the United States and the European Union for greater religious freedom in Turkey.
Under the reported plan, the new institution would be integrated into Turkey’s official higher education system. Academic programs would operate under the supervision of the Turkish Ministry of Education, while student admissions would take place through the country’s national university entrance examinations.
The proposed structure would also include a theological faculty, allowing the training of Orthodox clergy in Turkey for the first time in more than five decades.
According to Bloomberg, a draft agreement was finalized following a meeting in Ankara between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Positive reports regarding the initiative have also appeared in the Turkish press.
The Halki Theological School suspended the operation of its higher education department in 1971 after legislative changes placed religious higher education under state control. Since then, its reopening has remained a consistent request of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and a recurring issue in European Union reports concerning religious freedoms in Turkey.
If implemented, the plan would mark a significant development for the Ecumenical Patriarchate and for Orthodox theological education in Turkey, ending more than half a century of uncertainty surrounding the future of the historic institution.
Source: Bloomberg
