A renewed spark of hope among Greek Orthodox Christians in Turkey has recently been extinguished after first being kindled at a meeting in Washington: on 25 September 2025, US President Donald Trump directly raised the reopening of the Greek Orthodox Theological School of Halki on Heybeliada with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The institution, located on Heybeliada in the Sea of Marmara off Istanbul, has been closed since September 1971. The Turkish President promised Trump that he would do everything he could. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew had been a guest at the White House just ten days earlier and expressed the hope that, in September 2026 – exactly 55 years after its closure – the historic and internationally recognised institution would be able to resume teaching.

The institution was closed at the time under a law prohibiting the operation of private universities. This severely restricted opportunities for the training of Orthodox clergy. Patriarch Bartholomew most recently described the closure publicly as a “great injustice” in his New Year address for 2026. In June 2026, the Church leader met Erdoğan once again. According to Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, who attended the meeting, Erdoğan subsequently instructed the Turkish Council of Higher Education to continue negotiations with the Patriarchate. One obstacle is the legal framework under which the institution would be permitted to resume operations. For the Greek Orthodox Church, freedom from state interference is of decisive importance in this regard.

However, the Patriarch’s hope that teaching will resume in September 2026 is unlikely to be fulfilled. At most, there will probably be a ceremony marking the completion of the renovation work. Patriarch Bartholomew, also referred to in the media as the “Green Patriarch”, has organised high-level interdisciplinary environmental and religious symposia in the school building since the 1990s, including the “Halki Summits” of 2012 and 2019.

For decades, there have been efforts at international level – including by the European Union and the United States – to persuade the Turkish government to reopen the school. Non-governmental initiatives have also repeatedly appealed to Ankara. The ISHR has advocated for its reopening since the 1990s, including during several delegation visits to Turkey. These visits also included discussions at the Ecumenical Patriarchate and visits to the Theological School of Halki.

As a further gesture of goodwill, the ISHR proposes official state recognition of the title “Ecumenical Patriarch” for Church leader Bartholomew, something the Turkish government has so far refused to grant.

Walter Flick

The Theological School of Halki on Heybeliada © Darwinek, CC BY-SA 3.0

The ISHR encourages readers to appeal to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. A sample letter is available here:

Sample Letter to the Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye

His Excellency
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
President of the Republic of Türkiye

via the Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye
Department of Religious Affairs
Tiergartenstr. 19–21
12683 Berlin

Your Excellency,

I am addressing this appeal to you in the hope that the reopening of the Theological School of Halki on Heybeliada, which has been closed since 1971, will become a reality. As a historic centre of Orthodox Christian faith and scholarship, this institution is of global significance. Your recent meeting with Patriarch Bartholomew in June 2026 and your subsequent instruction that discussions be held on a possible reopening were received around the world with great confidence and hope. We earnestly urge you now to follow these words with actions that would make history. The formal reopening of the Halki Seminary would be a milestone for:

• Religious freedom: The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople urgently needs the opportunity to train its clergy within its own country. Full religious freedom safeguards the right of a religious community to educate and train its own clergy. On 24 December 2003, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights entered into force in the Republic of Türkiye. Article 18 of the Covenant guarantees this fundamental human right.
• Cultural heritage: Reviving the school would protect and honour the centuries-old cultural and religious richness of your country.
• Understanding between peoples: Such a step would create an invaluable bridge for dialogue between Türkiye, Europe and the wider Christian world, while strengthening your country’s international standing as a guardian of religious diversity.

Your Excellency, please send a courageous and unequivocal signal in support of tolerance, respect and dialogue between cultures. After 55 years of silence, enable the Halki Theological School finally to become once again a place of learning, faith and active theological education.
A further sign of tolerance and respect would be the recognition of the title “Ecumenical Patriarch” for Bartholomew, now 86 years old, who was elected as head of the Church 35 years ago, on 22 October 1991. In the Christian world, this designation is regarded as an honorary title. His See is in Istanbul – something of which the Republic of Türkiye could be proud.

Yours respectfully,