“To build a culture of dialogue and peace. Present-day global challenges require us, in a certain sense, to assume this task, that is, to extinguish the fires of war and to rekindle the flame of friendship, fraternity and justice.” With these words, Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, Archbishop of Marseille, presented the “mission” of the “Med 25 Odyssey – Bel Espoir” initiative to journalists in the Vatican. 200 young people of all nationalities, cultures and religions from the five shores of the Mediterranean (North Africa, the Middle East, the Black Sea and the Aegean, the Balkans and Europe) will set sail from Barcelona on 1 March on board a three-masted schooner, “Le Bel Espoir”, and sail around the Mediterranean for eight months, from March to October 2025, divided into eight groups of 25 people.
Cardinal Aveline said that the Pope attaches great importance to this project, especially in the context of the current situation in the Mediterranean region, with the hope that the ship could serve as a testing ground for addressing the challenges facing the five shores of the Mediterranean Sea. “This project is rooted in the vision and intuition of Giorgio La Pira and, more recently, in the Mediterranean Meetings held in Bari (2020), Florence (2022) and Marseilles (2023)”, said the Archbishop of Marseilles. “The innovative aspect of this initiative is the presence of young people. On board the Bel Espoir, they will dock in some thirty ports, take part in training sessions on the theme of dialogue for peace and enjoy a unique maritime and human experience. When they return, they will make a “solemn commitment to work for peace.” The ship – explained the French archbishop – “is on a mission to attentively listen to the painful wounds and the resources” of the Mediterranean region; to involve partners, dioceses and universities to jointly promote meetings, conferences, festivals and projects; to live synodality in this geographical area and contribute to fraternity; to promote a culture of dialogue and peace.
The ship will be officially launched on 1 March in Barcelona, “a cosmopolitan city – said Cardinal Juan José Omella Omella – a port and tourist destination, a crossroads of cultures, languages and religions, all called to embrace dialogue and mutual understanding.” This is the “message of hope” that the young people on board the ship will bring to the peoples and countries of the Mediterranean region: “We may differ in many ways, but even these differences should be recognised, valued, and accepted,” said Omella. “This human fraternity is the foundation of peace-building.” At the end of the voyage, in light of the conferences organised in the host cities and the experiences on board, a ‘Blue Book’ will be drawn up and presented to the Pope, and to the mayors and bishops of the Mediterranean cities.
In his speech, the Archbishop of Bari, Giuseppe Satriano, remembered the meeting of the the Heads of the Churches and Christian Communities of the Middle East in the city Bari in the year 2018. On that occasion, when “the wars currently raging had not yet started,” Pope Francis spoke prophetic words: “Truces maintained by walls and displays of power will not lead to peace, but only to the concrete desire to listen and dialogue,” the Pope said on that occasion. “This sea”, said Monsignor Satriano, “marked by encounters and conflicts, by exchanges, but also by tragedies, now needs a new soul. This is the profound meaning of the path we have been following for several years. The Church,” he concluded, “must take the lead in a journey of unity and reconciliation. This is the Pope’s heartfelt desire: to join forces in order to give a voice to the voiceless, to defend the dignity of every human being and to bear witness to the beauty of communion that overcomes divisions. The experience of the ship will concretise this desire.”
