Young ITO representative: This gathering gave us new meaning and direction

Andrei Pohrib, who received the ITO torch with Maria Stella Pascal, said the 2026 International Meeting of Orthodox Youth represented for him an image of the Christian life.

The moment took place during the closing ceremony at the National Cathedral, where the Archdiocese of Bucharest handed over the ITO torch to the delegation of the Archdiocese of Iași, which will host the next gathering.

Andrei Pohrib said that “through the moments of prayer, the relationships we built together, our visits and our communication, we saw that we, as young Orthodox Christians, can live a beautiful life in the Church”.

The young representative emphasised that the International Meeting of Orthodox Youth had left a mark on his life, “even though, perhaps, for some it is simply an event”.

“I hope that, years from now, we will remember this gathering and this moment as one in which we found a new meaning and a new direction, and understood that it is possible to live a beautiful Christian life within the Church.”

At the conclusion, Andrei Pohrib invited young people to attend ITO 2028 in Iași.

Photo: BASILICA / Raluca Ene