On Saturday, September 28, 2024, Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden and All Scandinavia traveled to Oslo for a pastoral visit. His first engagement was a meeting with the Ecclesiastical Council of the Metropolitan Church of the Annunciation of the Theotokos, held at the church premises. The Metropolitan chaired the meeting, with council members Kyriaki Papadopoulou Samuelsen, Maisi Bäckman, Theocharis Yfantidis, and Konstantinos Antonakopoulos in attendance. The discussion focused on the progress of the parish and the significant restoration work needed for the church’s banquet hall.
On Sunday, September 29, Metropolitan Cleopas presided over the Divine Liturgy at the Metropolitan Church of Oslo, with the assistance of 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 of the day, expressed gratitude to the clergy, and announced his upcoming visit to Örebro on October 26. There, he will inaugurate the newly established Parish of Saints Demetrios and Nestor, asking the congregation to keep the mission in their prayers.
The Divine Liturgy featured hymns in Greek, Norwegian, Ukrainian, Swedish, and English, sung by the Metropolitan, the clergy, and the church’s Chanter, Panagiotis Katsivalis, alongside members of the church’s Byzantine choir.
Following the service, Metropolitan Cleopas greeted the faithful and later conducted four baptisms at the same church. The next morning, he returned to the seat of his province in Stockholm.
