Nicușor Dan to Open International Orthodox Youth Gathering in Bucharest

President Nicușor Dan will attend the official opening of the International Orthodox Youth Gathering on Tuesday in Bucharest, where the Romanian Orthodox Church is bringing young participants together under the theme “Youth, Family and Life in Christ.”

The gathering began on Aug. 31 and runs through Sept. 3. Tuesday’s program starts with a Te Deum service at the National Cathedral to mark the beginning of the Church Year. The official opening follows 30 minutes later, with government officials and church representatives present.

Dan’s speech will be broadcast through the presidency’s live transmission system and on the Presidential Administration’s website. Later that evening, participants will join the traditional Procession of Lights, traveling from the National Cathedral to the Patriarchal Cathedral along central Bucharest’s main avenues.

Organizers have scheduled conferences, workshops, cultural activities and prayer throughout the four-day meeting. The discussions center on family, vocation and Christian identity in a changing society. This year’s event takes place during the Romanian Orthodox Church’s commemorative focus on Christian family ministry and holy women in the Orthodox calendar.

Launched in 2014, the gathering has become one of the Romanian Patriarchate’s main youth ministry projects. Previous editions were hosted by Baia Mare, Cluj-Napoca, Bucharest, Iași, Sibiu, Craiova and Timișoara.