Ms. Ekaterini Fountoulaki, Ambassador of Greece to Sweden, prayerfully attended the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy celebrated on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at Saint George Cathedral in Stockholm.
In a few days, she will complete her distinguished diplomatic tenure in Sweden and return to Athens to assume new duties in the particularly critical and sensitive field of Greek-Turkish relations.
In his homily, Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden and All Scandinavia referred to the Gospel reading for the First Sunday of Luke and to the Lord’s call to the Apostle Peter: “Launch out into the deep.”
He emphasized that Christ calls every person to go deeper in faith, prayer, self-knowledge, and active love, without allowing the disappointments and failures of the past to determine the future.
Shortly before the distribution of Holy Communion, Metropolitan Cleopas spoke to the Sunday School children in the presence of the congregation about Saint Chariton the Confessor, whose memory our Church commemorates on September 28.
The children then presented the Ambassador with a commemorative gift on behalf of the local Church as an expression of gratitude and love.
At the conclusion of his homily, His Eminence addressed the outgoing Ambassador of Greece with the following words: “It is with particular joy that we welcome today, at Saint George Cathedral in Stockholm, the outgoing Ambassador of Greece to Sweden, Her Excellency Ms. Ekaterini Fountoulaki, and warmly thank her for the honor of her presence at the Divine Liturgy.
A graduate of the Law School of the University of Athens and a diplomat with a long and distinguished career, she served, among other assignments, at the Permanent Mission of Greece to the United Nations in New York and as Ambassador of Greece to Lebanon before representing our homeland in Sweden.
We express to her our sincere and profound gratitude for the excellent, cordial, and fruitful cooperation we enjoyed throughout her tenure here, as well as for her unfailing interest in and support for the Holy Metropolis of Sweden and our Greek community.
We wholeheartedly congratulate her on the new and important assignment entrusted to her in the particularly critical field of Greek-Turkish relations, and we wish her health, strength, enlightenment, and every success in her new duties.
May the God of peace bless her efforts, so that she may contribute meaningfully to strengthening dialogue, mutual understanding, good-neighborly relations, and the peaceful coexistence of the two peoples.”
Following the Divine Liturgy, a reception was held in the Cathedral’s Fellowship Hall in honor of Ms. Fountoulaki. Metropolitan Cleopas and Bishop Bartholomew of Elaia presented her with flowers and wished her health, strength, and every success in the new and responsible assignment she is undertaking.
Read below the homily of Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden and All Scandinavia
Your Grace,
Your Excellency,
Dearly Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Today’s Gospel presents the miraculous catch of fish and the calling of the first disciples. After teaching the people from Simon Peter’s boat, the Lord says to him: “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Peter answers: “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless, at Your word I will let down the net.”
Peter set aside his own judgment and trusted the word of Christ. Saint Theophylact of Ohrid praises this obedience. Peter did not argue with the Lord, but acted in faith. His obedience opened the way for the miracle.
The Lord thus prepared His disciples for their future ministry, showing them that their apostolic work would bear fruit not through human strength alone, but through His grace.
When Peter witnessed the miracle, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” The closer Peter came to Christ, the more clearly he recognized his own unworthiness. This is genuine humility.
Christ did not reject Peter because of his sinfulness. Instead, He reassured him: “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch people.”
The calling of the disciples is also our calling. Christ invites each of us to “launch out into the deep”; to leave behind spiritual laziness, fear, and the safety of a superficial faith. He calls us to trust Him more fully, to deepen our prayer, to serve our neighbor, and to bear witness to the Gospel through our words and, above all, through our lives.
The disciples then brought their boats to land, left everything, and followed Christ. Their true miracle was not merely the great catch of fish, but their willingness to surrender their lives to the Lord.
May we also respond to Christ with Peter’s faith: “At Your word, I will let down the net.” Even when our efforts appear fruitless, let us not lose hope. When we act with obedience, humility, and trust, Christ can transform our weakness into strength and our failures into blessings. Amen!
