On Wednesday, September 17, 2025, His Eminence Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden and All Scandinavia, accompanied by the Very Reverend Archimandrite Bartholomew Iatridis, participated in the sessions of the Christian Council of Churches in Sweden, held at its headquarters in Stockholm.
One of the main items on the agenda was the review of the conclusions from the recently celebrated “Ecumenical Week,” held in August under the theme “A Time for the Peace of God.” The highlight of that week was the presence and keynote address of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who had been invited as the principal guest and speaker at the major events.
These celebrations took place exactly 100 years after the International Christian Conference on “Life and Work,” organized in Stockholm, in 1925, by Lutheran Archbishop Nathan Söderblom, who was later awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, in 1930.
That historic gathering was attended by Patriarch Photios Peroglou of Alexandria and Metropolitan Germanos Strenopoulos of Thyateira and Great Britain, who represented the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Metropolitan Cleopas addressed a word of thanks to the Archbishop of the Lutheran Church of Sweden, His Eminence Martin Modéus, whom he congratulated together with his worthy colleagues, including Dr. Sofia Camnerin, General Secretary of the Christian Council of Churches, and the Very Reverends Peter Lindvall, Jonas Thorängen, and Fredrik Lidé.
As a token of gratitude for the excellent cooperation and support offered by the Lutheran Church of Sweden and the Christian Council of Churches, during the official reception and hospitality of His All-Holiness and His distinguished Entourage, Metropolitan Cleopas presented flowers and an icon of Saint George. The gift served as a memento of the recent Thyranoixia Service at the Saint George Cathedral of Stockholm, which took place on Sunday, August 24, 2025, by His All-Holiness, the Spiritual Leader of Orthodoxy.
He also offered his most recent study, dedicated to his first predecessor, the late Metropolitan Polyefktos (Finfinis), titled “Polyefktos Finfinis, Metropolitan of Sweden and All Scandinavia, 1969–1974.”
Both gifts were publications of the “Apostoliki Diakonia of the Church of Greece,” presented through the generosity of its Director General, His Excellency Metropolitan Agathangelos of Fanarion.
Following this, participants in the Council’s sessions were divided into groups and given fifteen minutes to collaborate and reflect on how the “Ecumenical Week” had impacted the hearts of those who took part, as well as the Churches they represented.
After the group discussions, His Eminence Metropolitan Cleopas took the floor, underlining first the importance of inner peace as a divine gift, and then the need to cultivate it through spiritual struggle and participation in the sacramental life of the Church.
He highlighted the significance of celebrating such a week as a means of fostering unity, solidarity, and collaboration among Christian Churches and their faithful.
Finally, he endorsed the proposal of the previous speakers to prepare and publish a commemorative volume on the “Ecumenical Week.”
This edition will not only include photographs but also the keynote addresses, events, and a list of participants and contributors, so that the profound Christian values of peace, coexistence, and solidarity may be shared, especially with the younger generations, and the generations to come.
