US State Dept spokesperson urges Turkey to reopen Halki Seminary
State spokesperson Ned Price urged the government of Turkey to reopen the Halki Seminary and allow it to train Orthodox clergy, according to a statement posted on Twitter on Thursday.
"Fifty years ago Turkey’s nationalization of higher education caused the Halki Seminary to close," Price said. "We continue to urge the government of Turkey to respect the universal human right of religious freedom and allow Halki Seminary to freely train Orthodox clergy."
A State Department statement was attached to the tweet, saying the following (full post):
"Today marks 50 years since the Turkish Constitutional Court ruled that all institutions of higher education must either nationalize or close, resulting in the closure of the Theological School of Halki, a seminary of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Halki Seminary had operated for 127 years, and its closing deprived the Ecumenical Patriarchate of a training school for Orthodox clergy in Turkey, its home for 1,690 years. Since Halki’s closure, those wishing to become Orthodox clergy have been forced to go abroad for their training.
"The United States continues to urge the Turkish government to respect the right to freedom of religion or belief as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and allow the reopening of the Halki Seminary. Moreover, we call upon the government of Turkey to allow all religious groups to again train their clergy within the country."