Romania’s top officials urged young participants in the International Meeting of Orthodox Youth (ITO) 2026 to continue to believe in Romania. Among the participants in the opening ceremony held on Tuesday at Romania’s National Cathedral were the Patriarch and the President of Romania.
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel emphasised that young people learn love and communion in the Church, while President Nicușor Dan and State Secretary for Religious Affairs Ciprian Olinici urged young Romanians to continue believing in their country.
The opening ceremony was hosted by Iuliana Lazăr, presenter and producer of the Trinitas TV News Bulletin, and Cosmin Iulian Cîrstea, Trinitas TV producer. The event was broadcast live on Trinitas TV, the television channel of the Romanian Patriarchate, and on the Trinitas TV Facebook and YouTube channels.
Prayer at the National Cathedral
The event began with a Te Deum service officiated by a clerical synaxis led by His Grace Timotei of Prahova, Assistant Bishop of the Archdiocese of Bucharest. The hierarch prayed for the enlightenment of the participants’ minds and for guidance from above on the path of salvation.
The synaxis also included: Archimandrite Augustin Coman, Patriarchal Counsellor at the Sector for Christian, Interreligious Relations and Romanian Communities Abroad of the Patriarchal Administration; Archimandrite Ciprian Grădinaru, Ecclesiarch of the National Cathedral Chapel; Fr Gabriel Corduneanu, Patriarchal Administrative Vicar; Archdeacon Nicolae Iftimiu, Coordinating Patriarchal Counsellor and Director of the Basilica News Agency of the Romanian Patriarchate; and Fr Michael Tița, Diocesan Vicar of the Archdiocese of Bucharest.
Following the prayer service, the national anthem, “Awaken Thee, Romanian!”, was sung, followed by the ITO 2026 anthem, “The Song You Take Home”.
Patriarch Daniel: Many young people followed Christ
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel then addressed a message of blessing to the participants, recalling that “many of the disciples who followed Christ were young people”.
“He raised these young people from the dead out of merciful love for their families, but also because He wanted to reveal that youth is a symbol of the beauty of the everlasting life in the Kingdom of Heaven,” emphasised Patriarch Daniel.
“For the education and formation of children and young people in the faith, the Romanian Orthodox Church continually develops programs and projects at both the local and national levels, as well as international meetings of young Orthodox people. These gatherings help young people understand that the Church is not merely an institution, but something much more: it is the great family of the Most Holy Trinity’s love for humanity, a living community in which each member is called to offer his or her gifts for the benefit of those around them and of the community as a whole.”
President Nicușor Dan: Continue to believe in Romania
President Nicușor Dan subsequently addressed the participants, inviting young people to continue believing in Romania.
“First of all, I would like to invite you to publicly profess – and not only within the Church – the things and values in which you believe, because it seems to me that this is lacking in our society, and it appears that the place of a firm, yet simple and decent witness in the public sphere is being taken by Pharisees,” warned the President of Romania.
He also advocated authentic patriotism, which should leave no room for the spread of unhealthy nationalism.
“Because in the public sphere there is not enough of this decent witness and appreciation for the past of this country and for a healthy nationalism, we see the public sphere dominated, on the one hand, by defeatists – who say that we will never be able to achieve anything in this country and, on the other, by demagogues – who beat their chests and climb upon certain essential elements of the past. Unfortunately, precisely the voice of those who believe in and work for Romania with decency is not being heard – and it needs to be heard.”
“I wish you fruitful days, I wish you to experience this communion, to benefit from people wiser than yourselves, and to continue believing in Romania,” concluded the President of Romania.
The Minister of Education pleaded for values
Interim Minister of Education Mihai Dimian delivered a message on young people’s need for reference points and roots.
“I believe that this meeting is also about who we are, what we choose to become, and what kind of society we want to develop,” said the Minister. “My appeal to you is to build bridges where others raise barriers.”
“My appeal to you is to use science to learn what you can do, and faith to learn what is worth doing. I wish you the courage to question intellectually and the strength of deep convictions. I wish you not to be afraid either of the world that is coming or of the identity from which you come,” the Minister emphasised.
“I wish you all a blessed meeting, full of friendship and light. Have confidence in yourselves and the courage to stand up for your values,” the official concluded.
Ciprian Olinici on visible and invisible foundations
“Some places are built for one generation, while others are built for generations. The National Cathedral is such a building. And the fact that during these days His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, its founder, has chosen to offer it to you, young people, is not merely an act of profound hospitality. Above all, it is an act of great trust,” emphasised State Secretary for Religious Affairs Ciprian Olinici.
“A place that gathers the memory and faith of a people allows itself, for a few days, to be inhabited by its youth. Perhaps this is also one of the meanings or purposes of a cathedral. Not merely to have room for those who come, but to make room for them. Not merely to preserve what has been, but to remain open to something that is beginning.”
“And there is another beautiful coincidence. This cathedral itself is young. It is beginning its history together with so many lives that are just starting their journey. What we inherit remains alive not because we repeat it, but because each generation discovers and rediscovers it,” the State Secretary added.
“There are foundations made of stone, and there are foundations that appear on no commemorative plaque – namely, the trust placed in someone at the beginning of their journey, responsibility entrusted at the right time, and a chance given before all the guarantees are in place. His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel has, over the years, placed this trust in younger generations.”
În final, Ciprian Olinici i-a îndemnat pe tineri, ca și ei, la rândul lor, să-și pună încrederea în Biserica și Patriarhul României: „Aveți încredere în Biserica Ortodoxă Română! Aveți încredere în Patriarhul ei! Aveți încredere în România!” a încheiat el.
The Mayor of Bucharest: A wonderful community
A brief message was also delivered by Bucharest Mayor Ciprian Ciucu: “I am moved. This is the third time I have entered this cathedral, but today it seems more beautiful to me than ever because it is filled with young people who form a wonderful community,” he said.
The Mayor of Bucharest spoke in favour of cherishing tradition and national identity as reference points that strengthen the nation as an authentic community.
Parade of youth delegations
The final part of the ceremony featured a parade of delegations from the sister Orthodox Churches and from the dioceses of the Romanian Patriarchate.
The ceremony concluded with a recital of Byzantine music performed by the “Tronos” Byzantine Music Group of the Patriarchal Cathedral, conducted by Archdeacon Mihail Bucă, protopsaltes of the historic Patriarchal Cathedral.
About ITO 2026
The theme of this year’s International Meeting of Orthodox Youth, organized from 31 August to 3 September, was “Young People, Family and Life in Christ”.
The event was attended by 65 young people from the Ecumenical Patriarchate; the Patriarchate of Alexandria and All Africa; the Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East; the Patriarchate of Jerusalem; the Patriarchate of Serbia; the Orthodox Church of Cyprus; the Metropolis of Veria, Naoussa and Campania (Church of Greece); the Orthodox Church of Poland; the Orthodox Church of Albania; the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia; and the Archdiocese of Ohrid and North Macedonia.
Among the 2,400 young participants were 215 young people from Romanian dioceses in the diaspora, 10 from the Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate of the Romanian Patriarchate, and 10 young Romanians from Northern Bukovina.
On Tuesday evening, the participants heard at the National Cathedral the conference “Young People and Family in Today’s Society”, delivered by Andreea Ogăraru, mother of six, and Dr Radu Țincu, Intensive Care and Toxicology Physician at Floreasca Clinical Emergency Hospital in Bucharest.
On Wednesday evening, Romanian Orthodox Bishop Macarie of Northern Europe spoke to the attendants, a national project for youth developed by the Church was presented and then the participants walked in procession from the National Cathedral to the Historic Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest, where they were greeted by Patriarch Daniel of Romania.
The young people had access to the event’s website and a dedicated app, where they received notifications concerning the programme. The event was organised with the support of 500 volunteers from youth groups and organisations in the Archdiocese of Bucharest.
Launched in 2014, the International Meeting of Orthodox Youth has become one of the most important landmarks of youth ministry in the Romanian Patriarchate. Over the years, it has been hosted by diocesan and university centres such as Baia Mare (2014), Cluj-Napoca (2015), Bucharest (2016), Iași (2017), Sibiu (2018), Craiova (2019) and Timișoara (2023).
