Hopes are growing that a long-closed Greek Orthodox seminary on an island off Istanbul could reopen soon, with formulas for its new status under discussion, Bishop Aravissu Kassianos Nikolar told AFP.
Located on Heybeliada, one of the Princes’ Islands, the Halki seminary opened in the mid-19th century and was the main theological school for the Eastern Orthodox Church until it was closed under a Turkish law in 1971.
Despite decades of pressure on Ankara to reopen it, led by Greek Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I, leader of the world’s 260 million Orthodox Christians and a graduate of the seminary, the school has remained closed.
But the seminary made headlines in September 2025 when U.S. President Donald Trump raised the issue with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, raising hopes the deadlock could soon be broken.
“At this stage, we are making quite good progress overall. Things are positive at the moment, 100 percent positive,” the bishop told AFP in a rare interview just days before Trump was to fly in on his first official visit to attend the July 7-8 NATO summit.
Renewed interest in the site was sparked in 2024 when Turkish Education Minister Yusuf Tekin visited and spoke of the importance of preserving the building’s original character in any renovation.
He also conveyed a message from Erdoğan that a solution had to be found to reopen the institution.
“That kicked off negotiations with Ankara,” Nikolar said, with plans for its reopening gaining real momentum after last September’s White House talks.
The initial proposal was to reopen the seminary as a university operating under the Türkiye’s Higher Education Board (YÖK).
That later evolved into the idea of establishing an institute offering post-graduate theological training over a two-year period that would be affiliated with a Turkish university, and a quota of 60-70 students.
The latest talks in Ankara last month were attended by Erdoğan and Patriarch Bartholomew, said Nikolar who was also present.
Nikolar told AFP there was “no set time” for the reopening, but said Erdoğan had urged all parties to finalize the matter swiftly, saying: “Don’t lose too much time”.
As for Trump’s involvement, the bishop said he was someone who held Patriarch Bartholomew “in high regard.”
