Turkish and Greek leaders to discuss religious agenda with Pat. Bartholomew

President of Turkey Recep Erdogan and Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Photo: ope.gr

On February 11, as part of the visit of the Greek delegation to Ankara, an official dinner will take place with the participation of Patriarch Bartholomew, during which issues related to the religious agenda are expected to be discussed. This was reported by the Orthodoxia News Agency.

Patriarch Bartholomew was invited by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to attend a dinner in honor of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. According to a statement from the Constantinople Patriarchate, Patriarch Bartholomew will arrive in Ankara accompanied by Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon. The presence of the Primate gives the event not only a diplomatic but also an ecclesiastical dimension.

According to Greek media reports, one of the possible topics of discussion may be the reopening of the Theological School of Halki. The school, which was closed by the Turkish authorities in 1971, remains both a symbolic and practical issue for the Constantinople Patriarchate, as it is directly connected with the training of clergy and future hierarchs. In recent months, the issue of its reopening has once again been discussed at an official level between the Patriarchate and the relevant Turkish authorities.

Although the Halki question is not formally included in the official agenda of Greek–Turkish negotiations, the very presence of Patriarch Bartholomew at a high-level meeting indicates attention to the religious dimension of the dialogue. Church circles have expressed cautious optimism regarding possible progress toward a solution that would have significant implications for the position of the Patriarchate in Turkey.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Constantinople Patriarchate held an ecumenical prayer service in Istanbul.

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