Bartholomew tells Trump Istanbul seminary may reopen in 2026
WASHINGTON

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the world's Eastern Orthodox Christians, arrives for a meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House, Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Bartholomew I of Istanbul's Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate has paid a visit to Washington and met with U.S. President Donald Trump, noting that he believes a seminary in Istanbul will accept student in 2026.
Bartholomew arrived in Washington on Aug. 14 and is scheduled to make various U.S. appearances through Sept. 25.
Bartholomew's meeting with Trump took place on Sept. 15 afternoon in the Oval Office.
Bartholomew said he told Trump of promising discussions with the Turkish government about reopening a long-closed theological school on Istanbul’s Heybeliada, also known as Halki Seminary.
According to reports, after the meeting, Trump asked his associates to prepare a briefing note to raise the issue of Halki with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan when he meets him.
The Halki Seminary is a historic Orthodox seminary located on one of Istanbul’s Princes' Islands. Türkiye earlier signaled that it will resume its educational activities after a prolonged hiatus.
“Since last year, at the initiative of President Erdoğan, a dialogue began between the Patriarchate and the Turkish government on the issue of Halki,” the patriarch told journalists after the meeting.
The patriarch said that he told Trump his expectation that that the school will accept students in September in 2026.
Bartholomew mentioned his upcoming meeting with Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, in Türkiye in November to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the ancient Council of Nicaea, which defined key doctrines in a creed still widely used.
While in Washington, Bartholomew is also scheduled to attend other events in his honor, hosted by the Turkish and Greek ambassadors to the U.S.
Known as the “green patriarch,” Bartholomew is scheduled to receive the prestigious Templeton Prize on Sept. 24 in New York.
It honors achievements in the areas of science, spirituality and human purpose. Bartholomew has been a strong advocate for environmental protection and has decried pollution, deforestation and other “ecological sin,” according to the John Templeton Foundation.