“We want this event to provide an opportunity for dialogue, prayer and communion, and to raise awareness of the importance young people have for the Church and society in general,” Father Adrian Agachi, spokesman for the Romanian Patriarchate, said on Thursday at a press conference dedicated to the 2026 International Meeting of Orthodox Youth.
The meeting with journalists took place on the esplanade of the National Cathedral, the focal point of the youth gathering in Bucharest.
Father Agachi emphasised that the Bucharest meeting aims to provide young people with “the necessary setting for liturgical and communal expression in a world which, more than ever, needs to guide them towards life in Christ”.
“We are pleased that the theme chosen for this year’s International Meeting of Orthodox Youth will be Youth, Family and Life in Christ — essential elements of Christian life, elements that enrich the lives of Orthodox young people everywhere,” the Romanian Patriarchate spokesperson said.
ITO 2026 programme
Father Adrian Agachi presented the programme of events and provided details regarding access to the National Cathedral.
ITO 2026 will take place from 31 August to 3 September, bringing together more than 2,400 young people from Romania, the Romanian diaspora and other sister Orthodox Churches, as well as 500 volunteers from the Archdiocese of Bucharest who will help organise the event.
The programme includes a concert, thematic conferences, the Procession of Lights and the Divine Liturgy celebrated inside the National Cathedral.
“Not only the young people taking part in this international gathering are invited to join the procession, but also all young people from Bucharest and the surrounding areas,” Father Agachi said.
The Romanian Patriarchate spokesperson explained that during the services and events held at the National Cathedral as part of the International Meeting of Orthodox Youth, members of the public will have access only to the cathedral esplanade.
Only on Thursday, 3 September, from 9:00 a.m., will members of the public also be allowed inside the National Cathedral, subject to available capacity.
The detailed programme of the 2026 International Meeting of Orthodox Youth is available on Basilica.ro.
Photo: Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu
