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Bishop Macarie at ITO 2026: Young Orthodox Christians need community in an increasingly secularised society

September 3, 2026 · 1 min read

“A young believer in a secularised society is not someone closed in on themselves; rather, the Gospel makes them free and helps them become purer, more responsible and more loving,” Bishop Macarie of Northern Europe said on Wednesday evening at the National Cathedral, where he spoke with participants in the 2026 International Meeting of Orthodox Youth (ITO 2026).

The hierarch delivered the spiritual conference Youth and the Church in the Orthodox Diaspora: Pastoral Experience in Northern Europe, which also included an extensive question-and-answer session.

Bishop Macarie began his address by thanking His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel.

“We should all thank him,” the Bishop said.

“We thank him together not only for this moment, but for the constant care he shows towards young people, children and families, both in Romania and beyond its borders, through catechetical and educational programmes, support for volunteering at camps and gatherings, pastoral care for pupils and students, and all the initiatives through which the Romanian Orthodox Church offers young people genuine spaces for encounter, formation and service.”

Young people in the diaspora between two worlds…

Source: Basilica News Agency (English) · Read the full story →

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Photini Miller

Thanks for sharing this – Bishop Macarie’s point about young believers not being closed in on themselves really hit home. Living in Sydney it’s easy to feel pulled between the Aussie world at work and trying to stay active in the parish youth group, so hearing about the pastoral experience in Northern Europe makes me curious how they keep those genuine spaces for encounter going when everyone’s so scattered. The thanks to Patriarch Daniel for the camps and volunteering programmes is spot on; we’ve seen the same blessing here.

Андрій Бойко

Yes, it is interesting that Bishop Makarie mentions the youth in the diaspora between two worlds. Here in Lviv, I also see how my daughter, a student, tries not to close in on herself, but to remain open through joint prayers and volunteering in the parish. Thanks for the post, it's good that such meetings are planned for 2026.