His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania, landed Friday evening at the Iaşi International Airport to participate in the opening ceremony of the International Orthodox Youth Meeting ITO2017.
His Beatitude was welcomed by the members of the episcopal assembly (Synod) of the Metropolis of Moldavia and Bukovina, led by His Eminence Metropolitan Teofan.
Addressing those present at the airport, the patriarch expressed his joy that this year’s edition of the Orthodox Youth Meeting takes place in Iaşi, a city protected by Venerable Paraskeva (Petka), a young saint who lived her youth in search for God and eternal life.
After being welcomed at the airport, His Beatitude went to the Iasi Metropolitan Cathedral where he bowed down before the holy relics of Saint Paraskeva. He also visited the metropolitan museum located at the basement of the cathedral.
The opening ceremony of ITO2017 took place at 18.00 the same day at the well-known Palas Garden in Iasi, in the attendance of the Romanian Patriarch and several hierarchs of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
The Archdiocese of Iasi organized the 2017 International Orthodox Youth Meeting and its main theme is Young people in search for freedom.
credit: doxologia.ro
