July 6, 2009
Source: Syracuse.com
Wire Service: AP
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill says reopening a Greek Orthodox seminary could help to strengthen religious freedoms and minority rights in Turkey.
The seminary near Istanbul was closed to new students in 1971 under a law that put religious and military training under state control.
The patriarch says he has information that the seminary, which trained generations of Greek Orthodox leaders, could be reopened. Kirill's statement came after he met with Turkey's top Muslim cleric, Ali Bardakoglu, and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Monday.