OSLO, Norway – His Eminence Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden and All Scandinavia visited Oslo on the weekend of June 17-19, 2017 at the invitation of the Greek Parents’ Association of Norway to join in the festivities marking the end of the school year.
Metropolitan Cleopas arrived in Oslo on the afternoon of Saturday June 17th, and accompanied by the Very Rev. Archimandrite Alexander Loukatos, Parish Priest of the Metropolitan Church of the Annunciation of the Theotokos, and Metropolis Executive Board Member and legal overseer of the Hellenic Orthodox Community of Norway Mrs. Kiriaki Papadopoulou Samuelssen, they attended the celebration organized by the students at the Hellenic-Norwegian Cultural Association of Oslo.
The Metropolitan watched the show together with Greece’s Ambassador to Norway Her Excellency Ms. Maria Diamanti. The production was overseen by teachers Mdmes. Vasiliki Mitsa, Sophia Papaconstantinou, Alexandra Pavlidou, Fenia Lazari, and Eustathia Kalitzi, while its theme was dedicated to the summer and the students’ experiences at Greek School. Displaying their talents, the students put on a theatrical performance, recited poems by Odysseas Elytis and C. P. Cavafy, and read texts by Evgenios Trivizas. A musical performance by a quintet playing the keyboard, guitar, violin, and trumpet left the audience exhilarated.
Metropolitan Cleopas thanked the Parents’ Association for their invitation and wished the children the best of luck for the future, emphasizing the importance and value of education.
At the conclusion of the show, Ms. Konstantina Tsiplaki offered the Metropolitan and the Ambassador copies of her book sjø og land (Sea and Land), which tells the story of a young refugee and the trials and tribulations he faced on his journey from Syria to Norway. Afterwards, the Parents’ Association hosted a reception.
On Saturday evening, the Service of Great Vespers was held in the Metropolitan Church of the Annunciation in Oslo, with Metropolitan Cleopas officiating.
On Sunday, June 18th Metropolitan Cleopas presided over the services of Matins and Divine Liturgy, joined by Fr. Alexander Loukatos and the Rev. Presbyter Olav Leserth of the Exarchate for Orthodox Parishes of Russian Tradition in Western Europe, Parish Priest of the St. Halvard Parish in Oslo.
Following the Divine Liturgy, Metropolitan Cleopas delivered the sermon and spoke about the Gospel reading of the day, noting the manner in which Jesus called the disciples to follow Him and encouraged the congregation to utilize their gifts for the glory of God.
He also spoke about the primary reason behind his tenth archpastoral visit to Oslo, which was to attend the student show, admire their performance, and become better acquainted with their parents. He added that the presence of the children in the life of the Church and their involvement in the affairs of the Hellenic Community ensures a bright and productive future. Meanwhile, the money from the collection tray was allocated for the victims of the recent earthquake that struck the island of Lesvos.
Finally, the Metropolitan offered a sizeable collection of quality publications of liturgical and other books in Greek and English, donated by the Rev. Protopresbyter Fr. Spyridon Kezios of Narthex Press in the United States to all the parishes of the Holy Metropolis, to whom he expressed his deepest gratitude for this remarkable contribution to a missionary eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Meanwhile, Fr. Alexander welcomed the Metropolitan on the occasion of the three-year anniversary of his enthronement and of his first visit to Oslo from the 20th to the 22nd of June, 2014. Afterwards, a reception in honor of the parents and children in attendance was offered in the hall of the Metropolitan Church.
The next day, Monday June 19th, Metropolitan Cleopas was invited to brunch by the Roman Catholic bishop of Oslo Bernt Eidsving at his residence. The Metropolitan was joined by Fr. Alexander Loukatos and Mrs. Kiriaki Papadopoulou Samuelssen. At this meeting, Metropolitan Cleopas conveyed the blessings of His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, while also presenting his vision for the Holy Metropolis and thanking his host for the kind invitation and hospitality offered to him over the past three days at the nuncio’s residence.
That same morning, a gathering in remembrance of the refugee victims who drowned crossing the Mediterranean Sea was held at the Metropolitan Church of Oslo, which was organized by the Christian Council of Norway on the occasion of world refugee day. Metropolitan Cleopas conducted a memorial service, joined by the Revs. Alexander Loukatos and Olav Leserth.
The Metropolitan spoke about the waves of refugees crossing the Mediterranean and the fact that during the year 2017 alone, 1304 people have already died in the process. He also reiterated Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew’s characterization of Jesus Christ, calling him the “Political Refugee,” and stressed that the world cannot stand by and idly watch the drama facing their fellow brothers and sisters, who have been uprooted from their ancestral lands and are now seeking a new country and a brighter future for themselves and their families. He also reminded the audience of last year’s historic visit by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Pope Francis, and Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece to the island of Lesvos in order to promote awareness of the refugee crisis.
Also speaking at the event were Ms. Trude Jacobsen, Secretary General of the humanitarian organization A Drop in the Ocean, who spoke about how she felt the need to abandon her comfortable life in Norway and go to Greece in 2015, at the height of the refugee crisis, in order to help the needy refugees who had fled there, along with Mr. Shoaib Sulta, Special Adviser to the Norwegian Center Against Racism and Oslo Municipal Council member, who spoke about the need for societies across the world to combat racism and discrimination. Mrs. Kiriaki Papadopoulou Samuelssen served as the mistress of ceremonies.
Metropolitan Cleopas returned to Stockholm that evening.
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Photo Credit: V. Rev. Fr. Alexander Loukatos, Messrs. Constantine Antonakopoulos, Cosmas Plakos, Ioannis Aleiferis and Ivar Papadopoulos Samuelssen.
