Encyclical from His Eminence Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden Regarding the Celebration of Holy Services

Stockholm, April 22, 2020

Dearly Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ and Reverend Clergy, Members and Benefactors of the Holy Metropolis of Sweden and All Scandinavia,

CHRIST IS RISEN!

I am informing you that due to the rapid spread of Covid-19 cases and in order to limit the transmission of this contagious disease, following respectfully the instructions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the celebration of the Divine Liturgy and all other holy services will continue to be held in our churches “behind closed doors.” This means that the only persons physically present will be the parish priest, one chanter on the right chanter’s stand, one chanter on the left chanter’s stand, and the sexton/assistant.
The church services will be streamed live exclusively through the Metropolis’ social media accounts, from the St. George Cathedral of Stockholm (Metropolisofsweden @ metropolisofsweden1) and Youtube.
Due to the present spike in cases of this virus, these measures will remain in place, until further notice, for all the parishes under the canonical jurisdiction of our Holy Metropolis.
With the exception of the holy services that will take place “behind closed doors,” Holy Sacraments and all scheduled events and celebrations are postponed until further notice. The only exception will be funerals, which will be conducted with the immediate family of the deceased in attendance only. If the cause of death is Covid-19, then the funeral will be conducted at the cemetery, and not at the parish.
All of the aforementioned measures will be reassessed later on, depending on the developments related to the coronavirus pandemic. You will be apprised in a timely manner.

With deep paternal love and heartfelt Paschal greetings,

+ Metropolitan Cleopas of Sweden