On March 1, the Bel Espoir, a magnificent 95-foot three-masted schooner, set sail from Barcelona for an eight-month adventure in the Mediterranean. On board the vessel, 200 young people from the five shores of the Mediterranean will take turns to live an experience of fraternity and learn about peace.
Commissioned by Pope Francis to promote peace initiatives in the Mediterranean, Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline came to Rome last week to present the project. The Archbishop of Marseille sees this maritime epic as an opportunity to build the culture of dialogue and encounter so dear to the Argentine pontiff.
The linchpin of this Mediterranean voyage is Father Alexis Leproux, episcopal vicar of the Diocese of Marseille in charge of Mediterranean relations.
He explained to I.MEDIA the ambitions of this unique initiative.
What the initiative is about
What is the idea behind the Med25 project?
Fr. Alexis Leproux: It’s about implementing all of Pope Francis' messages on the Mediterranean since the beginning of his pontificate in 2013. Med25 wants to embody the Pope's words and writings so that they don’t remain a dead letter. By getting on this sailing ship, young people will be able to receive this heritage and discover its human and spiritual relevance for them and the region.
This initiative also ties in with the method taught by the Pope: the Gospel must be lived. Jesus didn’t train his disciples sitting behind desks, but on a boat, going from one shore of Lake Tiberias to the other. Giorgio La Pira, the great Italian politician, said that the Mediterranean was a new Lake Tiberias.
I’d add that the inhabitants of the surrounding area have a responsibility towards humanity. The Mediterranean has an extraordinary variety of resources: It’s a history book that has been written on its shores for 5,000 years. The people of the Mediterranean have a responsibility to make this area a first-rate philosophical, theological, anthropological, and humanitarian space for the progress of the peoples. They are invited to approach the mystery of God in the light of the challenges facing the region.
Bringing together different shores
What will be the main stages of this pilgrimage?
Fr. Leproux: The project has eight stages on the five shores of the Mediterranean, with the idea of connecting one shore to the other each time. They will therefore cross from Spain to Morocco, from Sicily to Tunisia, from Malta to Crete, from Cyprus to Lebanon, from Turkey to Greece, from Albania to Italy, and from Italy to France.
In each host port, a conference and a festival will be organized. The program obviously includes visits. When you’re in Barcelona, you can’t miss the Sagrada Familia; likewise, when you set foot in Tetouan, you’ll visit the city center, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
With each departure, we’ll echo the words of Jesus: “Let us cross to the other side.” It’s a call to be bold in going to the other side of the sea, to see this space no longer simply as a place of economic predation or migratory despair, but to inhabit it with a spirit of fraternity.
The Erasmus+ program has for years enabled thousands of Europeans to experience a chosen and positive mobility for their studies. In the same way, we want young people to feel they can play an active role in the Mediterranean, a region with such diverse realities but always connected by the sea.
An experience of slowing down and disconnecting from the digital realm
What will daily life on the boat be like?
Fr. Leproux: The objective is simple: to meet each other, to take the time to get to know each other, to listen to each other. Cardinal Aveline often reminds us that listening is the nerve center of peace. Getting on board is a remedy for the dangerous digitization of exchanges and news.
On the boat, daily life will revolve around the tasks inherent to life at sea, with an introduction to sailing on an old rig: hoisting the sails, washing the deck, tidying the ropes, cooking, etc.
The advantage of this three-masted ship is that it moves slowly, at the pace of the weather conditions and the hazards. In fact, it allows you to test your patience, and it invites contemplation and inner peace. This is essential for generating real exchanges between young people and fostering creativity.
Will they have their cell phones?
Fr. Leproux: If they bring them on board, they’ll quickly be disconnected because at sea there is no network or charger! This ties in with the idea of the “mountain retreat,” which allows you to enter into an inner and relational depth. I’m convinced that slowness and patience are ingredients for building peace.
Like Pope Francis, I have great confidence that creativity also springs from inactivity, from simply being present to oneself and to others.
Diversity and dialogue
Who are the young people who will be boarding the ship?
Fr. Leproux: They come from the 20 or so countries bordering the Mediterranean. They applied via an online form and were selected on the basis of their desire to become peacemakers. We make sure to maintain a balance of faiths and nationalities each time. Obviously, the impetus for Med25 comes from the Christian world, so it was easier to find young Christians. But there are young Muslims, Jews, and even agnostics.
The Mediterranean is a world of high tension. For several months now, the world has had its eyes fixed on Gaza and its consequences for the region. Are you afraid that the tensions could resurface on board the ship?
Fr. Leproux: We must not exclude tension from brotherhood. Tension is not bad in itself. It’s a reminder of justice, the expression of suffering. The Med25 project ensures that tensions can be met with kindness and compassion, enabling us to build for the future. Therefore, we won’t exclude complicated subjects, but we want to explore the causes and issues of these conflicts in depth.
We know what’s happening in Palestine. Young people from the region will be on board the ship. One of the rules of the game, accepted by all, is to renounce all political posturing. In this way, we can bring about a Mediterranean diplomacy, quite different from the logic of the continental powers led by Washington, Paris, Moscow, or Beijing.
On board, it will therefore be a question of disarming hearts in order to better promote possible cooperation. The young people of the Mediterranean cannot be left with the sole prospect of watching, struck dumb, as armed forces are raised on both sides of its shores.
