During his Apostolic Visit to the United States, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew attended a breakfast in his honor, hosted by the Tuesday 16 September 2025 Turkey's ambassador to Washington, Sedat Onal. The event was attended by Archbishop Elpidoforos, members of the Patriarchal delegation, the Ambassador of Greece to the USA Katerina Nasika, as well as members of the Turkish diplomatic mission.
The central point of the Patriarch's statements was the the possibility of opening the Theological School of Halki, which has been closed since 1971. As he revealed, «since last year, on the initiative of President Erdogan, a dialogue between the Patriarchate and the Turkish government has been initiated.» According to him, the Turkish President instructed the Minister of Education to visit Halki and meet with the Patriarchate officials in order to speed up the procedures.
«We hope that in September 2026 we will be able to welcome the first students,» Bartholomew said, underlining the historical importance of the School for the preservation of tradition and the training of young clergy.
At the same time, he referred to the disadvantaged position of Christians in Turkey, who make up only 1% of the population, while in his meeting with the US President Donald Trump conveyed the difficulties but also the endurance of the Patriarchate «which continues its history thanks to divine grace, despite the adversities».
