As we become cognizant of our duty in the face of the daily drama facing myriads of our fellow men and women, and in an attempt to mobilize our forces to preserve “our common natural and cultural home,” His Eminence Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden approached His Eminence Archbishop Benjamin Atas of the Syriac Aramean Community of the Diaspora to express his active solidarity and love for the latter and his flock.
He initially invited Archbishop Benjamin to visit the St. George Cathedral in Stockholm and attend the Divine Liturgy on November 27, 2016, with the ambassadors of Greece and Cyprus, Dimitrios Touloupas and Andreas Kakouris in attendance.
Metropolitan Cleopas also welcomed the celebrated Swedish lawyer Mr. Kjell Jönsson, who is renowned for his struggles on behalf of human rights, and who has been staunchly defending them since the 1970s, having won a large number of cases at the Supreme Court level, affording hundreds of Christian refugees from the Middle East the opportunity to come and live in Sweden.
In his address, Archbishop Benjamin welcomed the Metropolitan and his company, noting how touched he was that the latter accepted his invitation. He also expressed his wish for a close collaboration between the two Churches within the framework of Christian love. “All my churches are at the disposal of your flock,” the Archbishop said.
In his reply, Metropolitan Cleopas thanked Archbishop Benjamin for honoring him with an invitation to visit his see and noted the following: “Your Eminence, despite starting off with minimal resources during your taxing and difficult 20-year struggle, you have managed to reach the remarkable position which you enjoy today. You accomplished a great deal during this period and your achievements are admired by the entire Christian community. Aiding you in this labor is the Syriac Aramean Community of the Diaspora, which has proudly distinguished itself in Swedish society. The progress and works of our Syriac brothers serve as an inspiration for the Hellenic Community of Scandinavia, inasmuch as both our peoples, in addition to a longstanding friendship, share the same enthusiasm and zeal for progress, and the same faith and devotion to their national traditions and Christian values.
