Turkish Orthodox Church Calls Halki Seminary a “Trojan Horse”

Turkish Orthodox Church Calls Halki Seminary a “Trojan Horse” for the West

🇹🇷 The Turkish Orthodox Church has criticized the possible reopening of the Halki Seminary of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, saying it could be used for Western geopolitical purposes.

The comments were made to TASS by Selçuk Eren, spokesperson for the Turkish Orthodox Church, amid reports that Turkish authorities are considering reopening the seminary on Heybeliada (Halki) in the Sea of Marmara.

According to Bloomberg, Turkish authorities may resume the seminary’s activities after years of calls from the United States and European Union to reopen the institution. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed the issue with Patriarch Bartholomew in June and had previously discussed it with US President Donald Trump.

“The opening of the seminary will not bring any benefit to Türkiye. On the contrary, it will receive a kind of Trojan horse, whose placement on Turkish territory has been sought by the United States and the European Union for many years.”

🏛️ Why Was Halki Seminary Closed?

Halki Seminary was closed in 1971. Eren said the institution had operated as a private higher theological school, a status that was not provided for under Turkish legislation at the time.

He said the Turkish Constitutional Court ruled that the seminary’s status was unlawful and that the institution was subsequently closed.

According to Eren, Türkiye had previously proposed reopening theological education within a state or foundation university, including through theological departments at Istanbul University or Marmara University. However, he said the Ecumenical Patriarchate did not accept these proposals because it sought a separate status for the institution.

📚 Questions Over a Possible Reopening

Eren said it remains unclear under what legal status the seminary could reopen, where its students would come from, which educational programmes would be offered and where graduates would work.

He also questioned whether the institution could be used to train “agents of influence,” arguing that Turkish law does not allow the creation of educational institutions intended to train personnel for so-called soft-power activities.

🇹🇷 Türkiye’s Position on the Ecumenical Patriarchate

Türkiye does not recognize the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople or Patriarch Bartholomew as having universal status. Turkish authorities state that their position is based on the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, under which the patriarch is recognized as the religious leader of the local Greek Orthodox community based in Istanbul’s Fener district.

The community is estimated to number no more than 3,000 people.

☦️ Relations with the Russian Orthodox Church

The Russian Orthodox Church ended Eucharistic communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate in October 2018. The Russian Orthodox Church has previously accused the United States of using Patriarch Bartholomew to advance its foreign policy, including in Ukraine.

🇹🇷 The Turkish Orthodox Church

The Turkish Orthodox Church, also known as the Autocephalous Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate, was established in 1921 and is officially registered in Türkiye as a religious organization. It is not recognized as canonical by other Orthodox churches.

The patriarchate is based in Karaköy, Istanbul, and has filed legal cases against Patriarch Bartholomew, including over what it describes as his schismatic activities and violations of Turkish law.