His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church has encouraged Romanian children and young people living abroad to remain faithful ambassadors of Christianity and Romanian values, emphasising the importance of preserving their language, cultural heritage and spiritual roots through active ties with their homeland.
In an official message addressed to participants in the 17th edition of the ARC Summer Camps program, organised by Romania’s Department for Romanians Everywhere, the Patriarch said that young members of the diaspora play a vital role in safeguarding the country’s Christian and national identity across generations.
He also highlighted the central role of the Christian family in transmitting faith and moral values, urging participants to strengthen their bonds with Romania by cultivating lasting friendships, embracing the country’s spiritual and cultural heritage, and remaining engaged with Romanian communities wherever they live.
Children and Young People – Ambassadors of the Christian Faith and Romanian Values
Madam Director,
Honourable Government Representatives,
Distinguished Organisers,
Dear Young Romanians from around the World,
With profound paternal joy, we extend our blessing at the opening of the 17th edition of the ARC Summer Camps Program, organised annually by the Department for Romanians Everywhere. The participation of young Romanian Orthodox faithful from the diaspora in this program expresses their desire to preserve a living connection with their roots, the Romanian language, the ancestral Orthodox faith, and the values that have nourished the soul of our people throughout history.
Prominent cultural figures such as Nicolae Iorga, George Enescu, and Constantin Brâncuși, together with great spiritual shepherds such as Metropolitan Visarion Puiu and Bishop Vasile Leu, along with many other priests who ministered to Romanians beyond the country’s borders, demonstrated that living far from one’s homeland does not mean becoming estranged from one’s national identity or ancestral faith. Through their work, they made Romanian values known throughout the diaspora and showed that the Church remains a place of living communion with the Romanian people for those who live abroad, whether permanently or temporarily.
For every Romanian, the homeland is not merely the place of birth, but also the space where history, faith, culture, and the memory of our forebears come together. Even if many of you have grown up or now live far from Romania, it remains an integral part of your identity. The language you speak at home, the traditions you preserve, the prayers you offer together with your loved ones, and your love for the Romanian people are bridges that continually connect you with the land of your parents and grandparents.
The ARC Summer Camps offer you the opportunity to discover the beauty of Romania, the richness of its spiritual and cultural heritage, and to build friendships that may endure for years to come. Meeting other young Romanians from different parts of the world helps you understand that, beyond geographical distances, you are united by the same heritage of faith, language, and culture. These bonds are especially precious because they can serve as the foundation for future cooperation, shared projects, and an ever stronger, more united Romanian community.
Therefore, we encourage you to use these days to discover new people, places, and traditions, to make friends in Romania, and to preserve those friendships long after the camps have ended. In this way, your relationship with your homeland will not remain merely emotional, but will become a living and enduring bond, rooted in communion, dialogue, and the desire to build a better future together. Romania needs the love and commitment of all her sons and daughters, wherever they may live.
In the context of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church proclaiming 2026 as the Solemn Year of the Pastoral Care of the Christian Family and the Commemorative Year of the Holy Women in the Church Calendar (Myrrh-bearing Women, Martyrs, Nuns, Wives, and Mothers), thus recognising the fundamental role of both the family and women in shaping and preserving Christian identity, we urge you to cherish the gift of your families, for the Christian family continues to be the privileged place where faith is cultivated, moral education is provided, and spiritual values are passed on to future generations.
The family is the first place where we learn love, faith, respect, solidarity, and responsibility. It is where the Romanian language is naturally handed down from one generation to another, where traditions are lovingly preserved, and where faith is nurtured through prayer and through the example of parents and grandparents.
The Church has the duty to support and strengthen the Christian family by providing pastoral guidance and spiritual assistance throughout every stage of family life: the Christian education of children, the preparation of young people for marriage, the overcoming of difficulties, and the strengthening of the bonds of love among family members.
Therefore, wherever you may live in the world, never forget that you are called to be ambassadors of Romanian values and of the Christian faith. Through your conduct, integrity, kindness, and respect for others, you can make known the beauty of the Romanian soul and the richness of our Orthodox spiritual tradition.
At the same time, always keep the path back to Romania open by visiting whenever you have the opportunity and by cultivating lasting relationships with the people and places you encounter during these days.
The Romanian Patriarchate expresses its gratitude to all the institutions and public authorities involved in organising and carrying out this essential program for the unity of Romanians everywhere, and especially to the Department for Romanians Everywhere for promoting and supporting this highly important initiative.
Finally, we pray to our Lord Jesus Christ, through the intercessions of the Most Holy Mother of God and all the patron saints of the Romanian people, to bless your steps, grant you joy, health, wisdom, and sincere friendships. May this experience strengthen your love for the faith, for your family, and for Romania.
With paternal blessing,
† DANIEL
Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church
Photo: Basilica.ro / Raluca Ene
