Halki Theological Seminary, shut by Turkey in 1971, is back in the headlines ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Turkey. Journalists are reporting that there is a sense of optimism that Turkey will reopen the school. This attention on Halki follows a renewed focus on Orthodox Christianity that includes the Ecumenical Patriarch’s visit to the White House, references to the Russian Orthodox Church in Trump’s Ukraine peace plan, and questions about whether the Russians are running an influence operation in DC. Endy Zemenides, HALC's Executive Director, joins Thanos Davelis as we break all of this down.You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:Optimism ahead of pope’s visit to Turkey for reopening of Istanbul’s Greek Orthodox seminary‘We must strive for unity of the churches’White House to meet clergy with ties to pro-war Russian Orthodox ChurchAre the Russians Running an Influence Operation in Congress?Greek secondary school teachers to be trained in using AI in classroomTurkish delegation meets Ocalan for first time to discuss PKK disarmament

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