Halki seminary reopening discussed at US State Department
Elpidophoros met with Riley Barnes, the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, at the State Department.
The meeting was held at the invitation of the US official and focused primarily on the reopening of the Halki Seminary, as well as religious freedom and the protection of the rights of religious communities.
The protection of Christian communities in the Middle East was also among the issues discussed during the meeting.
Elpidophoros argued that the Halki Seminary issue should not be viewed solely through the lens of the Greek Patriarchate or the Orthodox Christian community. Instead, he said the matter should be considered more broadly in the context of religious freedom and the protection of human rights.
The Halki Seminary, located on Heybeliada in Istanbul, has long been a prominent issue in discussions surrounding religious freedom and the rights of the Greek Orthodox community in Türkiye.
