Historic Partnership: ACTS Signs MoU with the University of Pretoria.
ACTS is pleased to announce an exciting development in our mission towards expanding our reach through orthodox theology in academia.
On November 3, 2025, His Grace Bishop Kirollos, the Dean of St. Athanasius and St. Cyril Theological School, and Prof. Rantoa Letšosa, the Dean of the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two institutions. This MoU represents a significant milestone in ACTS’ pursuit of excellent academic Orthodox Christian education. The purpose of the MoU is to establish a framework between the two institutions to foster collaboration at the PhD level. This step provides ACTS’ graduates with a path to PhD studies, with the option of co-supervision with ACTS’ faculty.
We are grateful for the support and vision of ACTS President, His Eminence Metropolitan Serapion, who provided his blessing to pursue this partnership. Regarding this new opportunity for ACTS, Metropolitan Serapion states: “Our Coptic Orthodox Church is deeply rooted in Africa. St. Mark, the African Apostle, preached the Gospel in Africa and established our Church of Alexandria. The Christian Faith had been carried to all Egypt, Nubia, Ethiopia and North Africa. Now Our Church reaches out to many African Countries. Our Alexandrian Orthodox Theology is also deeply rooted in Africa. The signing of MoU between ACTS and UP is an important step to strengthen our African roots and witness to the early African Orthodox Theology.”
ACTS faculty member, Fr. David Elias, who set the foundation for this pivotal partnership, will oversee the logistics of this new collaboration and its implication for our students and graduates who are interested in pursuing a PhD. More information will soon be available on ACTS’ website. Please keep this new development in prayer and stay tuned for more details coming soon.
Below we have included the Press Release that came from the University of Pretoria.
Historic Partnership Signed Between ACTS and the University of Pretoria and Coptic Orthodox Theological School in the United States
3 November 2025
The Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Pretoria (UP) is proud to announce the signing of a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Saint Athanasius and Saint Cyril Theological School (ACTS) in California, USA, one of the leading theological training institutions of the Coptic Orthodox Church. This MoU, signed on 3 November 2025 in Pretoria during an official visit by His Grace Bishop Kyrillos, marks the first formal partnership of its kind between the two institutions—and the first time the UP Faculty of Theology and Religion has entered an academic partnership with an Orthodox theological school.
The partnership is particularly significant in that it brings into collaboration the Coptic Christian tradition, which has its deep roots in Africa, specifically Egypt, with Africa’s leading Faculty of Theology and Religion at UP. It signals a meaningful movement of African Christian heritage reconnecting across continents, strengthening academic exchange and deepening theological engagement across diverse Christian traditions.
The vision for this collaboration began several years ago with Prof Chris L. de Wet, Head of the Department of New Testament and Related Literature at UP, and his former PhD student Fr. Dr. David Elias, who serves within the Coptic Orthodox Church and academic community abroad. Their shared academic work, deep collegiality, and commitment to cross-traditional dialogue laid the foundations of the dream.
With the support and leadership of Prof Rantoa Letşosa (Dean) and Prof Dirk Human (Deputy Dean for Research and Internationalisation) at UP, together with His Grace Bishop Kyrillos, the General Bishop of Christian Education for the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles, Southern California, and Hawaii and Dean of ACTS, this dream has now become a reality. Bishop Kyrillos travelled personally to Pretoria to sign the MoU, symbolising the seriousness and depth of the collaboration.
A New Phase of Academic and Research Collaboration
The MoU establishes:
Joint PhD supervision arrangements between senior academics of both institutions;
Opportunities for postgraduate study pathways and research collaboration;
The development of sustained research exchange in areas of shared strength, particularly in early Christianity and biblical studies.
One of the strategic goals of the Department of New Testament and Related Literature at UP is to strengthen research and teaching in early Coptic Christianity and to develop capacity for teaching the ancient Coptic language. Coptic Christianity represents one of the oldest living Christian traditions, preserving ancient liturgies, monastic wisdom, and theological writings that continue to shape spirituality and ecclesial life worldwide today. The Coptic language, a final stage of ancient Egyptian, is a rare and highly specialised field of study, essential for engaging primary sources in early African Christianity.
“Developing expertise in Coptic studies is not simply about adding another discipline to our curriculum,” Prof de Wet notes. “It is about reclaiming and teaching an African Christian heritage that is too often underrepresented in global theological education. This partnership helps us realise that vision in a deeply collaborative way.”
