Erdogan orders talks to reopen Orthodox Christian seminary in Turkey, a focus for Trump

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Turkish President Erdogan has ordered talks to reopen the Halki Orthodox Christian seminary near Istanbul, a demand raised by U.S. President Trump ahead of his NATO summit visit to Ankara. The seminary, closed since 1971, was historically the main theological school for the Eastern Orthodox Church.

ANKARA, June 21 (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan ordered officials on Sunday to resume talks on reopening an Orthodox Christian seminary near Istanbul, an issue raised by U.S. President Donald Trump, who is expected to visit Ankara next month for a NATO summit. The Halki seminary, founded in 1844 and shut by the Turkish state in 1971, played a central role in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Ecumenical Patriarchate's main theological school. It trained generations of Orthodox clergy, including the current patriarch Bartholomew, who is based in Istanbul.