Patriarch Bartholomew participates in ecumenical service in Sweden

Participants of the ecumenical service in Uppsala. Photo: WCC website

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew participated in the ecumenical service "Time for God's Peace" at the Uppsala Cathedral in Sweden on August 24, 2025, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the closing of the "Life and Work" conference in Stockholm in 1925.

The service gathered representatives of various Christian denominations to commemorate the centenary of the historic meeting organized by then-Archbishop Nathan Söderblom in 1925. The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew led the Nicene Creed in Greek during the service, as the Patriarch of Alexandria did at the service in the cathedral in 1925.

The service at the Stockholm Cathedral was attended by King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson with his wife Birgitta Ed, who is a Lutheran priest. The service was led by Archbishop Martin Modéus and Dean Matilda Helg.

Among the participants of the ecumenical service were representatives of various churches and Christian denominations from around the world. The Catholic Church of Sweden was represented by Cardinal Anders Arborelius, who offered a prayer during the service. From the Vatican, Archbishop Flavio Pace, Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, was present. The Anglican Church was represented by Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York. The event also included Archbishop Ilia (Vallgren), head of the Finnish Orthodox Church.

In his appeal, Patriarch Bartholomew quoted a petition from the Great Litany of the Divine Liturgies of Saints Basil the Great and John Chrysostom: "For peace in the whole world, for the well-being of the Holy Churches of God, and for the union of all, let us pray to the Lord."

"Never," continued the Patriarch, "has the voice of united Christianity been as necessary as it is today. Peacemaking is inseparably and indissolubly linked to the coexistence of all people and the survival of our planet. It is reflected in how we treat each other and the environment."

Let us recall, Patriarch Bartholomew spoke about the creation of a "common sacred worldview."

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