HEYBELIADA, Turkey (AP) — As Pope Leo XIV prepares to embark on his first trip abroad with a visit to Turkey to mark a key event that shaped the foundations of Catholic and Orthodox Christianity, there has been a surge of renewed optimism over the possible reopening of a Greek Orthodox religious seminary that has been closed since 1971.
The Halki Theological School has become a symbol of Orthodox heritage and a focal point in the push for religious freedoms in Turkey.
Located on Heybeliada Island, off the coast of Istanbul, the seminary once trained generations of Greek Orthodox patriarchs and clergy. They include Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of some 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide.
Turkey closed the school under laws restricting private higher education, and despite repeated appeals from international religious leaders and human rights advocates — as well as subsequent legal changes that allowed private universities to flourish — it has remained shut ever since.
Momentum for reopening it appeared to grow after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the issue with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in September. Erdogan said Turkey would “do our part” regarding its reopening. Erdogan had previously linked the move to reciprocal measures from Greece to improve the rights of Muslims there.
The school, which was founded in 1844, stands surrounded by scaffolding as renov …