190 Hectares of Forest Given Back to Halki Seminary

CONSTANTINOPLE (From the website of Today's Zaman) - Following a meeting held on Friday, the Council of Foundations -- part of Turkey's Directorate General for Foundations (VGM) -- returned 190 hectares of forest to the Greek Orthodox Halki (Heybeliada) Seminary in Istanbul. According to the decision, 190 hectares of woodlands near the Halki Seminary will be given to the seminary's owner, the Aya Triada Monastery Foundation. This is the biggest property return to a minority group in the history of Turkey. Established in 1844 on the island of Heybeliada, Halki Seminary was closed in 1971 under a law that placed religious and military training under state control. It was the only school where Turkey’s Greek minority educated its clergy. The theological school once trained generations of Greek Orthodox leaders, including the current Patriarch Bartholomew, who is one of its 900 graduates

• Already a subscriber?
  Sign in to read full article.
• Not a subscriber?
  Subscribe now and get full access!

January 11, 2013