Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden hosts a thank-you dinner for the volunteers

On the evening of Monday, September 22, 2025, His Eminence Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden and All Scandinavia hosted a thank-you meal successful the Fellowship Hall of the St. George Cathedral of Stockholm, successful grant of the volunteers who contributed to the flawless enactment of the caller Patriarchal Visit of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

More than 50 volunteers attended the dinner, portion implicit 20 others, owed to idiosyncratic reasons and household obligations, were incapable to beryllium present.

After expressing his gratitude to those successful attendance, arsenic good arsenic to those absent for valid reasons, Metropolitan Cleopas delivered the pursuing address:

“Very Reverend Fr. Bartholomew,
Reverend Fr. George,
Beloved Volunteers and co-workers successful the ministry of our section Church,

With emotion and profound gratitude I invited you and wage the owed grant to each of you, the distinguished and blessed volunteers, who supported with selflessness and dedication the historical Visit of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Stockholm and Uppsala, from August 21 to 25, 2025.
The accomplishment and paternal beingness of His All-Holiness among america was a heaven-sent blessing and an invaluable gift, for done it our unity with the Mother Church of Constantinople was confirmed.
If this historical lawsuit was crowned with order, exemplary organization, and success, it is acknowledgment to the willingness and tireless efforts of your hearts.
All of you—young and old, men and women—proved successful signifier what ‘service’ genuinely means.
The Lord taught: ‘Whoever wants to beryllium large indispensable beryllium the servant of all’ (Mark 10:43). You unrecorded retired this teaching, conscionable arsenic Holy Scripture exhorts us: ‘Do not neglect to amusement hospitality to strangers, for thereby immoderate person entertained angels unawares’ (Hebrews 13:2).
Just arsenic Patriarch Abraham welcomed the 3 strangers astatine the Oak of Mamre and became the recipient of God, truthful you, done your hospitality and readiness, became witnesses of the surviving Orthodox faith.
Saint John Chrysostom reminds america that ‘whoever offers hospitality, offers it to Christ’. Indeed, successful the idiosyncratic of His All-Holiness, you hosted the Lord Himself, whom helium represents and confesses ‘in the midst of the earth’.
In this historical infinitesimal each of you placed your ain stone, enabling our section Church to emergence to the tallness of the large grant bestowed upon it. For this reason, contiguous our gratitude is not lone quality but besides theological.
We convey you, and astatine the aforesaid clip we glorify God, the giver of each bully things, who inspired you to enactment with unity and love, and to elicit favorable comments from our 70 visitors from 10 antithetic countries, who were impressed by your kindness, eagerness, and sacrificial, enthusiastic unpaid service.
May the blessings of His All-Holiness beryllium the opening of a caller course. The Holy Metropolis is called to continue, with renewed strength, its pastoral mission: caring for our youth, supporting our families, strengthening the weak, and promoting our civilization and traditions.
The Patriarch’s sojourn is not lone an grant of the past but besides a work and ngo for the future.
Lastly, I privation to convey those to whom our Church ever owes gratitude: the owners of the edifice ‘Cypern,’ Mr. Nikolaos Athanasiou and Mr. Athanasios/Sakis Kalpakas, who always, arsenic today, connection generously and with overmuch willingness, allowing america to bask the exceptional flavors and prime that person rightfully earned them a precocious spot successful the culinary preferences of Swedish society.
May the God of emotion bless and fortify each of you—those contiguous and those absent for valid reasons—together with your families, loved ones, and relatives, and whitethorn He repay each of you for your effort and offering, granting you health, each blessing, and prosperity! Thank you.”