In this interview, Danil Arakelian, vice moderator of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Youth Commission, shares insights from the gathering. He reflects on the assembly’s key themes, the spirit of joy and resilience among participants, and the importance of strengthening connections between diverse Christian communities. Drawing from his unique perspective as a representative of the Eastern Orthodox tradition, he also highlights meaningful encounters and discusses how these experiences will shape his ongoing work in fostering ecumenical collaboration and youth engagement.
Looking back, how did this assembly challenge or deepen your own faith? Arakelian: About 200 young people from a wide variety of churches took part in the Asian Ecumenical Youth Assembly, organized by the Christian Conference in Asia, a WCC partner organization. In Russia, I am used to Orthodox Christians being the vast majority, but here in Chiang Mai, I was the sole representative of Eastern Orthodoxy. This certainly presented a particular challenge for me. For example, in my church, worship services are very solemn and not interactive. Most people present in the church simply listen to the choir and the clergy. At the assembly, however, the atmosphere during morning and evening prayers was far more emotional and open. It was unusual for me to see some ordained people dancing and singing loudly. At moments like that, you realize that the differences between church traditions concern not only theological questions but also, in a sense, the very way of life, which ought to raise certain questions for the entire ecumenical movement. What are some of the “modern yokes” that stood out most during discussions? Arakelian: All the participants in the assembly came from very different countries. Each of these countries has its “yokes.” At the same time, some issues concerned all the participants. Among these were corruption among secular authorities, restrictions imposed on Christians, foreign policy instability, and the economic crisis. These issues were raised, to one degree or another, in all the discussions. Against this backdrop, I noticed that purely spiritual questions concerning the struggle with one's own passions and sins were practically not discussed, even though in the Orthodox Church these are among the most pressing “yokes,” including for young people. What concrete follow-up do you hope will come out of this assembly? Arakelian: The assembly lasted only five days, but it seems to me that it left a deep impression on every participant. The first thing we took away from it was a sense of friendship and solidarity among Christians. I am confident that this will result in a large number of joint projects among the young people of Asia. Looking ahead, when today's youth take up leadership positions in their communities, this friendship could have a positive impact on the development of the entire ecumenical movement in the region. What message would you share with young people who could not attend the assembly? Arakelian: I would advise them not to be upset, because in the foreseeable future, I hope, the 6th Asian Ecumenical Youth Assembly will be organized, and they will have the opportunity to take part in it. It is also worth mentioning the programs of the Asian Ecumenical Institute and the Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, which provide a comparable experience of participation in the ecumenical movement. In my opinion, what participants liked most about the assembly was not the program, although it was very well organized, but the very fact of gathering such a large number of young people from different countries. Today, more and more countries are closing themselves off from one another, refusing cooperation, hoping to gain something for themselves. The experience of our assembly shows that international communication, on the contrary, mutually enriches. Therefore, whenever a young person communicates with his or her brothers and sisters in faith from other countries, they are already, in that very act, partaking of the experience of the assembly. | 
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