New Dean for Berkeley Divinity School, Yale

THE next Dean and President of Berkeley Divinity School, at Yale, is to be the Revd Dr Gabrielle Thomas, who will also serve as Associate Dean of Yale Divinity School, from 1 July. Dr Thomas, who was ordained in the Church of England in 2015, is Associate Professor of Early Christianity and Anglican Studies at Candler School of Theology, Emory University. She was recruited by Emory in 2021 to be the inaugural faculty member of the Anglican Studies programme, and she has been Theologian-in-Community at St Luke’s, Atlanta. Dr Thomas previously served on the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Theological Reflection Group. She took her historical-theology doctorate at Nottingham University.

Sudanese state halts rebuilding of Coptic church

THE Coptic community in Wad Diab Al Gaba, in the Northern State, Sudan, has been prevented from either completing the reconstruction of, or worshipping in, its church building, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports. “For 30 years the Coptic Community in Wad Diab Al Gaba had used a church building that was constructed using basic materials on land belonging to Mr Zaki Wanees Abadeer, a Copt. In 2019 heavy rains damaged the structure of the building severely, and the community of 65 families, numbering approximately 350 members, decided to demolish the existing structure and raise funds to construct a building using bricks and mortar. In December 2025, when they had almost completed the structure, Muslim extremists in the area forcibly prevented work on the site from continuing.” After a complaint from this group, the local authority ordered an end to both building and worship until a permit was issued, CSW says.

WCC leaders have ‘heart-to-heart’ with Pope Leo

A DELEGATION from the World Council of Churches (WCC) met Pope Leo at the Vatican on 28 February and “reflected deeply on the wars, conflicts, and violence that continue to pervade our world”. The Moderator of the Central Committee, Professor Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, and the other senior officials had “a heart-to-heart talk with Pope Leo on very important global issues. Our conversation evolved around the need for visible Christian unity especially in this time of numerous global challenges,” the general secretary, the Revd Dr Jerry Pillay, said. They “reflected on what more we can do together, especially after the celebration of the 1700th anniversary of the first Ecumenical Council last year. We mentioned the numerous places in which the WCC is currently engaged in peace initiatives.”