On the occasion of His Eminence Metropolitan Cleopas’ fourth anniversary of enthronement as prelate of the Holy Metropolis of Sweden and All Scandinavia (June 14, 2014), the parish priest of the Metropolitan Church of the Annunciation of the Theotokos in Oslo the V. Rev. Archimandrite Alexandros Loukatos and the members of its parish council Michael Bikoulis, Kyriaki Papadopoulou-Samuelsen, Carolina Alevra, Demetra Axioti-Valeonti, and Demetrios Kraniotis visited him at the Metropolis headquarters in Stockholm to congratulate him and express their gratitude for the 14 pastoral visits he has made to Norway until today.
Metropolitan Cleopas welcomed the aforementioned visitors on Saturday afternoon, June 16, 2018, discussed issues of common interest with them, as well as their initiatives ahead of the upcoming ecclesiastical period, and hosted a dinner for them at a local Greek restaurant.
The next day, Sunday, June 17, 2018, Metropolitan Cleopas presided in chorostasia over the Divine Liturgy at the St. George Cathedral in Stockholm, with the V. Rev. Archimandrites Alexandros Loukatos and Sosipators Stefanoudis, and the Rev. Presbyter Angelos Spyropoulos, a visiting clergyman from Aigio, concelebrating.
During his sermon, the Metropolitan drew inspiration from the Gospel passage of the 3rd Sunday of Matthew and its references to the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount and spoke about the spiritual coordinates that the faithful must follow to lead a life in Christ. He also emphasized the faith that they must show in God’s will and Divine Providence in order to overcome the stress, cares of life, adoration of outward appearance, unbridled consumerism, and fear that characterize contemporary society, making special mention of St. John Chrysostom, who labels greed as a form of idolatry.

Afterwards, Metropolitan Cleopas welcomed brethren from near and far, who visited the see of the missionary Metropolis of Sweden, and informed the congregation of his recent pastoral visits to the Swedish cities of Jönköping, Βοrås, and Göteborg, and his participation in the general assembly of the Conference of European Churches, which took place earlier this month in Novi Sad, Serbia, where he led the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s delegation. He also spoke about his recent pilgrimage to the Venerable Center of Orthodoxy in Constantinople, to personally convey his filial wishes and those of the Mother Church’s plentitude in Scandinavia, to His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, on the occasion of the latter’s name day.

The Metropolitan welcomed the delegation from Oslo, thanked them for their systematic exemplary support towards the Holy Metropolis of Sweden, congratulated them on the progress of their parish and ministries, the approximate tripling of their registered members over the past three years following the appointment of a permanent parish priest, and especially for their tireless care for the newly arrived brethren migrating from Greece.
The delegation from Oslo offered the amount of 10,000 Norwegian Kroner (1,140 euros) on behalf of the Hellenic Orthodox Community of Norway, in support of the renovation works at the Metropolis Cathedral of Stockholm.

In his response, Fr. Alexandros highlighted the fact that Metropolitan Cleopas does not limit himself to appearances in Stockholm and its outlying areas, but also reaches out to his flock throughout the domain of the Metropolis’ jurisdiction, and thanked him beforehand for his upcoming tour of the parishes in Oslo, Bergen, and Stavanger in September and November, as well as his initiative to establish a new parish in Trondheim by the end of the year.

Following the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, a reception followed in the Cathedral hall, where the Metropolitan met with the delegation from Oslo in his office, thanked them for their donation, offered them copies of the Metropolis’ recent publication of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in Swedish, and discussed the details of his fall visit to Norway and the complete renovation of the Metropolitan Church, which is set to begin imminently.
Finally, Metropolitan Cleopas hosted a luncheon for Fr. Alexandros and his entourage at a local restaurant, wishing them a safe return to Oslo.