Turkey Mulls Re-opening Halki Seminary

Andy Dabilis  - 29/1/13 After much prodding from Greece and international pressure, the Turkish government is examining at least two formulas for the reopening of the Greek Orthodox seminary on Halki island off Istanbul, the Hurriyet daily said, adding that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has already appointed a new committee headed by his undersecretary, Efkan Ala, to hammer out a plan. According to the front-page report, the theological school could reopen as part of a Turkish university institution, under the comparative religion department. However, that scenario is said to be unpopular with the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarchate, as it would put the seminary under the control of Turkey’s Higher Education Board.