On Friday, March 29, 2024, Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden and all Scandinavia, together with the Priest of St. George’s Cathedral in Stockholm, Archimandrite Bartholomew Iatridis, officiated the service of the Descent from the Cross and the Epitaphios at the Finnish Parish of St. Nicholas in Stockholm. This parish follows the tradition of the Orthodox Church of Finland, observing the Julian calendar.
The hymns and readings were performed in Finnish, Karelian, Swedish, Greek, English, and Slavonic languages by the Metropolitan and the extensive choir of the parish.
After the service, the Archbishop conveyed Easter wishes from Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to the Primate of the Church of Finland, Leo, and to the clergy and laity of the Church of Finland. He then delivered a speech for the occasion, expressing his hope that the light of the Resurrection would illuminate the lives and endeavors of all present.
Translated by Thanos Chrysanthopoulos