Reopening of Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Halki Seminary resurfaces during meetings on sidelines of UN general assembly

The issue of the reopening of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople’s primary seminary, the Halki School of Theology again surfaced on the international limelight this week during the annual UN General Assembly in New York City.

The Archbishop of America, His Eminence Elpidophoros, on Thursday evening held a previously unscheduled meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Manhattan.

His Eminence was born in Turkey to an ethnic Greek family.

According to reports, the meeting was held in a good climate, with talks touching on minorities, both in Turkey and northeast Greece, as well as the specific open issues affecting the ancient Patriarchate of Constantinople, such as the urgent restoration of the Prinkipo isle orphanage building and the still closed Halki seminary, which is located on the same-name Marmara Sea isle.

The Halki issue was also discussed in a meeting this week, on the sidelines of the UN general assembly, between Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Among others, the US State Department has for decades called on Turkish authorities to allow the reopening of the seminary, referring to a direct violation of religious freedom in Turkey.

In a related development, Elpidophoros on Thursday also received Mitsotakis.

The center-right Greek leader referred to 2019 as a landmark year for both himself and the Church hierarch, given the former’s landslide election victory in July and His Eminence’s enthronement in June.

In a later statement circulated on his official social media accounts, the Archbishop noted that:

“…I welcomed the Prime Minister of Greece to the historic seat of @goarch (the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America) with feelings of love and appreciation. I wished his new government to live up to the hopes of the Greek people by achieving progress and prosperity, and by addressing crucial social issues. I look forward to harmonious cooperation to preserve and further bolster the already existing strong bonds between our sisters and brothers in Greece and those who participate in Orthodox Faith and Greek Culture, all over the world.”

Είχα τη χαρά να συναντήσω χθες τον Αρχιεπίσκοπο Αμερικής @Elpidophoros. Έχουμε χρέος να στηρίξουμε το έργο του. Οι δεσμοί της ελληνικής Ομογένειας με τη μητέρα πατρίδα πρέπει να παραμένουν ουσιαστικοί, ποιοτικοί και λειτουργικοί. pic.twitter.com/P5L0dBLYN0

— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) 27 Σεπτεμβρίου 2019

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