Religious leaders meet at the Greek Patriarchate for historic visit
ISTANBUL
AA Photo
The head of Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs,
Mehmet Görmez, has given a statement supporting the idea of
opening seminary after visiting the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate today.
"We should not need other countries to educate clerics," Görmez told to reportes after the historic meeting.
Reopening of Halki Seminary on government's agenda
The Turkish government has given the green light to
reopen Istanbul’s Halki Seminary amid a visit by the head of the Religious
Affairs Directorate to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate today, daily Radikal
reported.
Objecting to the reopening of the seminary is both
inhumane and against Islam, Justice and Development Party (AKP) Deputy Chairman
and former Education Minister Hüseyin Çelik said.
"Closing Halki Seminary was a mistake, not opening it is another. There is no legal hitch [preventing it from being] opened. It is a right," the minister said.
Çelik also invited Turkey’s pious Muslims to empathize
with non-Muslims, citing the current situation in Europe where there are
several mosques, Islamic schools and societies.
