Istanbul (AsiaNews) – This year, the wiring was redone after the old wooden windows were replaced by aluminium ones last year; the walls are painted in pretty old rose and white colours; the benches are writing desks: high, carved in black wood, with tops that open and inlaid wooden chairs. Empty. There are no pupils. No one.

Set up in 1842, the Theological School of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople is situated at the top of a small island in Marmara Sea, Haliki, one hour and a half away by boat from Istanbul, rich in forests and holiday villas. No cars or other means of transport are allowed to circulate on the island, so to get around, and even to go up to the school, which dominates the island, one must take a coloured cart drawn by two horses. Such carts serve as taxis.

Doroteos, the Orthodox priest responsible for the school, tells visitors it was founded on the site of former sacred settlements: there are ruins dating back to the IX century. Destroyed or damaged by not infrequent earthquakes, the current building is completely anti-seismic and has the shape of a Greek "p", in honour of St Paul. It was operational during the Ottoman Empire, and continued to undertake its role of formation under the Turkish Republic... until 1971.

Since then, it has been de facto closed. Only Turkish students of Orthodox faith would be allowed to attend, but the Orthodox community in Turkey, which at the time the school was set up had nearly 200,000 members, today only has a few thousand, less than 5,000. In Haliki, there were 180 Christians, now there are 25. Thus, there are never enough Turkish students of Orthodox faith wanting to attend this school. "We have asked to enrol five students, but they told us it would cost too much and they sent them to other schools," said Doroteos. "The solution naturally is there: it would suffice to allow foreign Orthodox students to attend." But for such students, the government would impose a three-month visa. The patriarchate has title deeds testifying to the ownership of the school, but even this is not secure.

However the government has appointed, as per the law, a deputy director, who is a woman. She is called Perla. She does not give her surname, limiting herself to explaining that her current work consists of sending post to the Education Ministry. To the question, "what dealings have you with her?" one of the few Orthodox there replied: "human".

The atmosphere is surreal. Everything is clean, neat and empty: the refectory, the main hall, with pictures of past rectors on walls covered with red fabric, and an icon of Our Lady on a seat in the centre, and the library. "There are 60,000 volumes on 33 different subjects," said Doroteos. "There are antique books too. Students come from the United States or from Australia, to prepare their degree thesis. Naturally they cannot stay here for more than three months."

And there is also a small apartment for possible visits by the Ecumenical Patriarch. The current patriarch, Bartholomew I, studied and later taught here, and he continues to visit "even once a month". Metropolitans and religious come; their visits are related to studies. A metropolitan is staying there at the moment.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate maintains that the closure of the school constitutes a violation of Article 40 of the Losanna Treaty, in which Turkey committed itself to guaranteeing minority rights, and of Article 24 of the Turkish Constitution, that guarantees freedom of worship and education. These guarantees are also upheld by Article 9 of the European Constitution on Human Rights, which Turkey is signatory to. Now, however, it seems that Europe is making moves: a few days ago, a European Parliament resolution called on Ankara to allow the Patriarchate to run the "seminary" of Haliki.

As for Bartholomew I, he makes no secret of his hopes that the visit of Benedict XVI to Turkey in November may help boost religious freedom and minority rights, both Catholic and Orthodox.