BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 26. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yiannis Loverdos visited Sweden from August 22–25, 2025, to attend the inauguration of the renovated St. George’s Cathedral in Stockholm and held meetings with members of the Greek community, Trend reports.
The Cathedral’s reopening ceremony, marking the completion of interior restoration works, was held on Sunday, August 24. The service was officiated by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and attended by clergy, Ambassadors, representatives of Greek community organizations, and numerous faithful.
In his remarks, Loverdos conveyed the Greek State’s gratitude to the Ecumenical Patriarch for his ongoing contribution to the unity of the Church and Hellenism. He also thanked Metropolitan Cleopas for his decisive role in the Cathedral’s renovation and spoke at the presentation of a book authored by His Eminence Metropolitan Cleopas, honoring Metropolitan Polyevktos Finfinis, founder of the Holy Metropolis of Sweden.
During his stay, Loverdos met at the Embassy with Moissis Nikolaidis, President of the Federation of Greek Associations and Communities of Sweden, and the Federation’s Board members. Discussions focused on issues concerning the Greek community, including the government’s Strategic Plan for the Greek Diaspora, with emphasis on digitizing services for Greeks abroad.
He also held talks with representatives of the Parents Associations of the Greek Language Departments in Stockholm and visited the facilities of the Hellenic Cultural Center.