On the morning of Friday, September 6, 2024, Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden and All Scandinavia visited Metropolitan Symeon of Nea Smyrni to extend his best wishes for the new ecclesiastical year. During their meeting, the two hierarchs engaged in a fruitful discussion. As a gesture of goodwill, Metropolitan Symeon presented Metropolitan Cleopas with a commemorative gift marking the 50th anniversary of the Holy Metropolis of Nea Smyrni, while Metropolitan Cleopas offered a recently published study by the late Hieromonk Eusebius Vitus, titled “The Missionary Ministry of Archimandrite Eusebius Vitus in Scandinavia (1965-1980)”.
With the canonical blessing of the local Shepherd, Metropolitan Cleopas visited the Nea Smyrni cemetery to perform a Trisagion service for the repose of his parents. He then visited the cemetery of Palaio Faliro, where he offered a Trisagion for his predecessor, Metropolitan Polyefktos of Anea, who served as the first hierarch of the newly-established Metropolis of Sweden from 1969 to 1974.
On Sunday, September 8, in celebration of the Feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, Metropolitan Cleopas presided over the Divine Liturgy at the Church of Saint Paraskevi in Nea Smyrni. At the conclusion of the service, he presented the clergymen, Protopresbyters Dimos Dimitropoulos and Dionysios Katsoulis, with a commemorative Tomos of the Patriarchal Visit to Stockholm in 2019. Metropolitan Cleopas also expressed his congratulations to the clergy for their dedicated service and extended his gratitude to Metropolitan Symeon and the community for their warm hospitality.
Translated by: Konstantinos Menyktas
