Reports over the last couple of months indicate the theological school of Halki will reopen in 2026. Such news would have thrilled this blogger once upon a time. The problem is the Ecumenical Patriarchate has created more problems for itself and Orthodoxy than the Turks.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church continues to be fiercely persecuted by the government in Kiev. The Ecumenical Patriarchate’s recognition of the pseudo church of unordained and defrocked clergy contributed to the persecution. The Patriarchate must reverse itself and declare that Ukraine is outside its ecclesial borders. And should condemn the persecution.
Until the schism with the Russian Church is healed, and until the persecution in Ukraine ends the Patriarchate will be permanently isolated and its demise likely even with the opening of Halki. The Church of Constantinople has made errors in its history and has always come back. It is necessary again for the Patriarchate to correct itself.