Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden and All Scandinavia visited Oslo for a pastoral visit on Saturday, September 28, 2024. His first engagement was a meeting with the Ecclesiastical Council of the Metropolitan Church of the Annunciation of the Theotokos. The council members in attendance were Kyriaki Papadopoulou Samuelsen, Maisi Bäckman, Theocharis Yfantidis, and Konstantinos Antonakopoulos. The discussion centered on the progress of the parish and the necessary restoration work for the church’s banquet hall.
On Sunday, September 29, Metropolitan Cleopas presided over the Divine Liturgy at the Metropolitan Church of Oslo, assisted by Presbyter Georgios Arvanitidis from Örebro, Sweden, and visiting Ukrainian clergy, Presbyter Oleg Nazarenko and Deacon Dr. Volodymyr Pozhydayev. During his homily, the Metropolitan reflected on the Gospel reading, thanked the clergy, and announced his upcoming visit to Örebro on October 26 to inaugurate the Parish of Saints Demetrios and Nestor.
The Divine Liturgy included hymns in Greek, Norwegian, Ukrainian, Swedish, and English, sung by the Metropolitan, clergy, and the church’s Chanter, Panagiotis Katsivalis, as well as members of the Byzantine choir.
After the service, Metropolitan Cleopas greeted the faithful and performed four baptisms at the church. The following morning, he returned to Stockholm.
