Cleopas of Sweden celebrates St. Bartholomew at the same-name Parish in Iceland

It is his 4th visit

The sixth pastoral tour in Reykjavik, Iceland was made by Rev. Metropolitan of Sweden and all Scandinavia Mr. Cleopas, from Friday, 3, to Sunday, June 5, 2022, on the occasion of the feast of the glorious Apostle Bartholomew, curator and patron of the above parish, which was founded in April 2019, during the Patriarchal Visit of His Holiness, the Ecumenical Patriarch Mr. Bartholomew, in October 2017.

His Excellency, accompanied by Pan. Archimandrite Alexandros Loukatos, Head of the Metropolitan Church of the Annunciation of the Virgin Oslo, arrived in Reykjavik on Friday, June 3, where he was received by the Honorary Consul of Greece in Iceland Edim. Mr Rafn Alexander Sigurdsson.

The next day, Saturday, June 4, 2022, His Eminence collaborated with Mr. Sigurdsson and Fr. Fr. Alexandros, and Mr. Evangelos Kyrou.
On Sunday, June 5, the Archbishop celebrated the Divine Liturgy, which was performed in the chapel of Rev. Friðrik Friðriksson, with the participation of Fr. Alexandros Loukatos.
At the end of the thanksgiving meeting, the Archbishop wished the Ecumenical Patriarch Mr. Bartholomew on his name day, to be celebrated in a few days.
In his sermon, Metropolitan Cleopas spoke of the celebrated Apostle Bartholomew, pointing to the need to maintain the missionary spirit and the bond of love between the members of the local Church, recalling the characteristic phrase of Archbishop of Albania Mr. Anastasiou: “A church without an apostolic mission is a Church without a mission”.

A reception followed at the premises of the above church, during which the Bishop publicly expressed his gratitude to Mr. Sigurdsson for his full support in organising his pastoral visits to Reykjavik, as well as Fr. Alexander and the Metropolitan Church. , for their moving moral and financial contribution to the work of the Holy Archdiocese.

He promised that God willing, he would visit the Greek community of Iceland again on the weekend, January 14-15, 2023, for the performance of the Sanctification of the Epiphanies and the cutting of the new year’s cake (vasilopitta).
The Sigurdsson couple, Mr. Evangelos Dimitropoulos, President of the Association of Greeks of Iceland, members of the parish, and the newly arrived from Greece attended the thanksgiving meeting.

In the afternoon, His Eminence and Fr. Alexandros met with members of the Greek community, where they discussed the possibilities of teaching the Greek language to the Greek children of the country and the promotion of Greek Christian culture, by organising cultural events.
On the morning of Monday, June 6, the Archbishop returned to the headquarters of his District in Stockholm and Fr. Alexander to Oslo.