15 August 2026
The Greek Metropolis of Sweden and All Scandinavia was led for forty years by Metropolitan Pavlos Menevisoglou (1974–2014). Born in Istanbul in 1935, Pavlos was ordained deacon in 1956, graduated from the Theological School of Halki in 1958, and served for many years in the Patriarchal offices in Constantinople before his election as Metropolitan of Sweden and All Scandinavia in 1974. Under his long tenure the Metropolis acquired churches in Stockholm, Uppsala, Göteborg and Oslo and established a stable presence across the Nordic countries. He retired in 2014 with the title of Metropolitan of Amaseia and was succeeded by Cleopas Strongylis.
When Metropolitan Cleopas arrived in Stockholm in 2014 he inherited a structure that was in many respects rundown. The historic St George Cathedral had not been renovated for more than 130 years and was in poor condition. There was no proper residence for the metropolitan, and the administrative and pastoral infrastructure was weak. At the time of his arrival only one clergyman was serving in the entire Metropolis. Against this background the subsequent expansion must be noted: the clergy was increased to eleven or twelve, ten new ecclesiastical communities were established across Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland, more than 170 adults were received into the Church through baptism or chrismation, Swedish and other languages were introduced into the services, and extensive renovation works were carried out on the Stockholm cathedral, the Metropolitan Church of the Annunciation in Oslo and the Hesychasterion in Rättvik. A museum of Hellenic-Christian heritage, a library and new offices were also created within the cathedral complex.
In 2021–2022 the Swedish newspaper Göteborgs-Posten published an investigative series, “Patriarkens högra hand” (“The Patriarch’s Right Hand”), examining financial and administrative practices in the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Sweden under Metropolitan Cleopas. The series was nominated for the Guldspaden 2021, Sweden’s leading award for investigative journalism. The Metropolis rejected the allegations. In May 2022 the Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket) completed a full audit of the Metropolis’s accounts for 2019–2021 and reported no irregularities. Later the same year an audit commissioned by the Swedish Agency for Support for Faith Communities (SST) and carried out by KPMG likewise found no issues with the use of state funds. Subsequent court proceedings involving a labour union also ended in the Metropolis’s favour. In the years that followed the Metropolis continued to expand and strengthen its network of parishes — including the establishment of the parish in Örebro and several communities in Norway — and carried out extensive renovation work. According to Metropolitan Cleopas’ own figures, the number of clergy grew from one at the time of his arrival in 2014 to approximately twelve. In 2026 Archimandrite Bartholomew Iatridis was elected and ordained as Bishop of Elaia to serve as auxiliary bishop to Metropolitan Cleopas. The Metropolis also faced further internal tensions, including the suspension and later departure of the priest in Borås.
See the Göteborgs-Posten investigation
