Announcement of the Holy Metropolis of Sweden to its flock in the city of Borås and its surrounding areas
Ανακοινώσεις

Announcement of the Holy Metropolis of Sweden to its flock in the city of Borås and its surrounding areas

Greek Orthodox Parish of Saint Andreas, Malmo

Stockholm, March 28, 2025

The Holy Metropolis of Sweden and All Scandinavia, having been informed by residents of the city of Borås that Fr. Jean/Ioannis Nikolaidis has joined a group of the so-called “Patrion Calendar,” i.e., a group of Old Calendarists based in Athens, hereby communicates with its flock in the Borås Panagia Parish of Sweden and its surroundings, informing them of the following:

  1. The Holy Metropolis was not informed directly by Fr. Ioannis Nikolaidis about this move, but learned of it through both the faithful and the publication of announcements and video footage, posted on the Parish website (Facebook).
  2. Fr. Ioannis Nikolaidis remains under the penalty of suspension from all liturgical duties, meaning he cannot perform the Divine Liturgy or any other Holy Sacrament or church service.
  3. By his own initiative, Fr. Ioannis Nikolaidis has initially shown disregard for his local ecclesiastical authority and subsequently for the parishioners of Borås, who have trusted him over the years. Because he has signed the contract the Swedish Lutheran parish of Borås, he has now provided both the use of the Chapel and its movable property (icons, Epitaphios, Gospel, Chalice, etc.) to the so-called “Church of the Patrion Calendar.” This group is not in ecclesiastical or sacramental communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Church of Greece, any other Patriarchate, or any Autocephalous and Autonomous Orthodox Church or monasteries of Mount Athos. Consequently, no Holy Sacrament performed by them is recognized.
  4. The Chapel has been serving the liturgical and spiritual needs of the Greek Orthodox faithful in the Borås area. Archimandrite Fr. Eusevios Vittis was the founder of the Parish. He celebrated his first Divine Liturgy in Borås on the day of Pentecost in 1966, and established “a spiritual base in the city of Borås, for the pastoral ministry of the surrounding Orthodox communities.” On March 10, 1968, Greek residents of the Borås area signed a protocol, establishing thus a parish, to meet the religious needs of those living in the area.
  5. The Holy Metropolis made every possible effort from the day Fr. Ioannis Nikolaidis was placed under the penalty of suspension from all liturgical duties, when it sent its representative, the Very Reverend Archimandrite Fr. Bartholomew Iatridis, on February 11, 2024. Fr. Iatridis could not perform the Divine Liturgy, since he had no access into the locked chapel. Following this event, the Holy Metropolis took steps to secure the St. Birgitta Griftegård Chapel (Götagatan 14, 504 30 Borås). Since then, once a month, on Saturdays, the Very Reverend Archimandrite Fr. Sosipatros Stefanoudis has visited the city of Borås, celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Chapel, and performed any necessary sacraments.
  6. The Holy Metropolis of Sweden and All Scandinavia, with great sorrow, makes this public announcement and informs its flock that they should ONLY address the canonical clergy sent by the Metropolis, who serve ONLY at the St. Birgitta Griftegård Chapel (Götagatan 14, 504 30 Borås).