Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, the day after Christmas, received Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholemew I at the presidential complex in Ankara, following a request by the latter.
According to reports, the Ecumenical Patriarch, the primus inter pares of the world’s Eastern Orthodox Patriarchs, raised the issue of Christian communities in war-ravaged Syria.
Bartholemew called on the Turkish leader to employ all of his influence towards the protection and security of the Christians and other minority groups in Syria, while also citing the historic and fraternal ties between the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Damascus-based Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East.
Additionally, Bartholomew expressed his and the Patriarchate’s gratitude to Erdogan over his order towards Turkey’s relevant ministry to take steps allowing a resumption of operation of the Halki School of Theology, the venerable Patriarchate’s primary seminary. He also requested an acceleration of the process. On his part, the Turkish president reportedly extended his full support towards this end.
Turkish officials ordered the renowned divinity school closed in 1971, at the time demanding that it fall under the administrative and academic jurisdiction of a Turkish state university.
Finally, the issue of commemorative events in 2025 marking the 1,700-year anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea (325 AD), the landmark first ecumenical council of the Christian Church, was discussed.
The head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, is among the ecclesiastical leaders invited to travel to the modern-day city of Iznik (ancient Nicaea) for the commemorative events.
