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TIME 'RIGHT' TO REOPEN HALKI
Hurriyet
Aug 7 2012
Turkey
A senior Greek Orthodox cleric says everything is ready for the
reopening of the Halki seminary. 'Let the school be opened however
our state deems fitting' he says
The Greek community is hopeful that Halki will reopen, says
Lambriniadis. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah GUREL
Although no date has been given, Istanbul's Halki Greek Orthodox
Seminary is ready to reopen after being closed for four decades, a
senior cleric has said. "Let the school be opened however our state
deems fitting."
"Everything is ready for the reopening of the seminary. No specific
pledge or date has been given to us, but we believe the time has
come for it because public opinion, the media, the state and even
the opposition are ready. We are hopeful, excited and waiting,"
Elpidophoros Lambriniadis, metropolitan of Bursa and chief priest of
the Halki Seminary on Heybeliada island, recently told Anatolia news
agency. "We believe that the time has come; however our state sees it,
they should act thusly."
No independence demands
Lambriniadis said the school had always been under the regulations of
the Ministry of Education. "We never requested to be an independent
school or not to be under any regulation. Let the school be opened
in any way our state and education laws deem fitting. It does not
make any difference for us whether the Higher Education Board (YOK)
or the Ministry of Education controls the school."
Until today, the patriarchate had insisted that the Halki Greek
Orthodox Seminary should function under the Ministry of Education
without being associated with a university and that the admittance
of foreign teachers and students should be allowed.
When the Supreme Court decided that all higher education facilities
would be connected to a state university in 1971, the Halki Greek
Orthodox Seminary was regarded as a "private higher education
facility." It was declared that the school had to be tied to a state
university or a state seminary to stay open.
As the patriarchate was unwilling to connect the school to a Turkish
university, the seminary was closed down. The patriarchate maintained
the same stance until today, since they said the school was established
as a boarding school to raise pastors, therefore if the seminary was
tied to a university and the students left at the end of the school
day, the school would not serve its purpose.
Furthermore there were concerns that if the Halki Greek Orthodox
Seminary, where only Orthodox theology is taught, became a part of
a university, students of Protestant, Armenian, Catholic and Syriac
origin would be admitted and as a result the school could not keep
teaching only Orthodox theology.
On the other hand the Turkish government claimed that if the seminary
was not connected to a university and solely taught "Orthodox theology"
it would spark some religious orders in the country to ask to open
schools that taught their respective theologies as well.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Hurriyet
Aug 7 2012
Turkey
A senior Greek Orthodox cleric says everything is ready for the
reopening of the Halki seminary. 'Let the school be opened however
our state deems fitting' he says
The Greek community is hopeful that Halki will reopen, says
Lambriniadis. DAILY NEWS photo, Emrah GUREL
Although no date has been given, Istanbul's Halki Greek Orthodox
Seminary is ready to reopen after being closed for four decades, a
senior cleric has said. "Let the school be opened however our state
deems fitting."
"Everything is ready for the reopening of the seminary. No specific
pledge or date has been given to us, but we believe the time has
come for it because public opinion, the media, the state and even
the opposition are ready. We are hopeful, excited and waiting,"
Elpidophoros Lambriniadis, metropolitan of Bursa and chief priest of
the Halki Seminary on Heybeliada island, recently told Anatolia news
agency. "We believe that the time has come; however our state sees it,
they should act thusly."
No independence demands
Lambriniadis said the school had always been under the regulations of
the Ministry of Education. "We never requested to be an independent
school or not to be under any regulation. Let the school be opened
in any way our state and education laws deem fitting. It does not
make any difference for us whether the Higher Education Board (YOK)
or the Ministry of Education controls the school."
Until today, the patriarchate had insisted that the Halki Greek
Orthodox Seminary should function under the Ministry of Education
without being associated with a university and that the admittance
of foreign teachers and students should be allowed.
When the Supreme Court decided that all higher education facilities
would be connected to a state university in 1971, the Halki Greek
Orthodox Seminary was regarded as a "private higher education
facility." It was declared that the school had to be tied to a state
university or a state seminary to stay open.
As the patriarchate was unwilling to connect the school to a Turkish
university, the seminary was closed down. The patriarchate maintained
the same stance until today, since they said the school was established
as a boarding school to raise pastors, therefore if the seminary was
tied to a university and the students left at the end of the school
day, the school would not serve its purpose.
Furthermore there were concerns that if the Halki Greek Orthodox
Seminary, where only Orthodox theology is taught, became a part of
a university, students of Protestant, Armenian, Catholic and Syriac
origin would be admitted and as a result the school could not keep
teaching only Orthodox theology.
On the other hand the Turkish government claimed that if the seminary
was not connected to a university and solely taught "Orthodox theology"
it would spark some religious orders in the country to ask to open
schools that taught their respective theologies as well.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress