Thanks to the coordinated efforts of the legal advisers in Sweden and Denmark, the process of transferring the church, which in the past belonged to the Catholic Apostolic Church, to the Holy Metropolis of Sweden and all Scandinavia, is now completed.
Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden, after the signing of the donation contract and the registration of the church in the Copenhagen Registry Department, expressed his deep gratitude to the donors for the new parish, which is honoured in the name of St. George the Neomartyr of Ioannina.
In the past, the Catholic Apostolic Church donated to the Holy Metropolis the St. George Cathedral in Stockholm and the Metropolitan Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary in Oslo, during the tenure of Metropolitan Pavlos former of Amaseia.
The church was built in 1890, it is about 250 sq.m., which includes, in addition to the main church, three adjacent rooms.
If conditions allow due to the pandemic, Metropolitan Cleopas will visit the new parish on Sunday, January 10, 2021, where he will preside over the Divine Liturgy and then he will visit the nearby lake, to throw the Holy Cross, accompanied by the Ambassadors of Greece and Cyprus, the pastor and the flock of the Mother Church of Constantinople that resides in Denmark.
Stockholm Cathedral’s Interior Renovation Completion
Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden also spoke about the completion of the renovation of the interior of the Cathedral.
Read the full message of the Metropolitan of Sweden:
“A landmark day for the Greek Orthodox Community in Scandinavia, with the completion of the renovation of the St. George Cathedral in Stockholm; 130 years after the construction of the church in the heart of the Swedish capital, in 1890.
A day of praise and thanksgiving to the Trinitarian God and to the patron saint of the Cathedral, the Great Martyr George the Trophy Bearer. Last year, on the feast day of St. Catherine, the external renovation of the church was completed.
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the deadly virus that has killed many of our fellow human beings around the world, the historic Eparchy of the Ecumenical Throne in Scandinavia is praying for the victims of the pandemic and all those affected by this new sickness of our times.
At the moment, we are standing at the highest point of the Cathedral, at a height of about 15 meters, and we touch the ceiling of the church.
In a few days, the scaffolding will be gone and we will celebrate Christmas in the newly renovated church.
I express my gratitude to St. George, whose intercessions and guidance, enabled our local Church to complete this historic task. I also thank all those who contributed to the completion of this sacred endeavour, in every possible way; whether they worked for the renovation, or they supported this project financially, morally and prayerfully. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.”
