In the heart of the Mediterranean, cradle of civilization and crossroads of peoples, a new project takes off with the intention of building peace bridges between its five sides. On March 1, 2025, the three -trees goletta The beautiful expans It will sail for an eight -month crossing, touching about thirty ports and involving almost 200 young people from every corner of the Mediterranean basin. A journey that will not be only a marine adventure, but an experience of training, dialogue and construction of relationships, with the aim of laying the foundations for a future of peaceful coexistence.
The initiative is part of the wake of the Mediterranean meetings Promoted by Pope Francis and developed over the last few years in Bari (2020), Florence (2022), Marseille (2023) and Tirana (2024). The idea of the school ship for peace was born as a concrete response to the Holy Father’s appeal to “listen to the five sides of the Mediterranean” and build a network of dialogue and cooperation. Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, archbishop of Marseille and promoter of the project, explains: “The Mediterranean is a laboratory of humanity. For too long there was only talk of Euromediterraneo, instead you have to listen to all the five shores: the Geo sea, the Black Sea, the Balkans, the southern Europe and the North Africa. The ship will start from Barcelona and, during the trip, will collect testimonies, experiences and stories that will be collected in a blue book of the Mediterranean, to pass on the memory of this crossing». Father Alexis Leproux, episcopal vicar of Marseille, underlines: «Today the Mediterranean risks becoming an unbearable desert, burned by the greed and human madness. We do not resign ourselves to seeing him transform into a cemetery. Our mission is to demonstrate that the Mediterranean also has a happy memory, made of exchanges, culture and fraternity ».
The beautiful Espair II is not any ship. Built in 1944 in Denmark for the transport of cattle, it has undergone several restorations over the years. After risky to end up in disuse in 2017, the Goletta was saved thanks to a great recovery operation and in 2023 she returned to sail the seas. “Today this ship is not only a boat, but a symbol of rebirth, encounter and dialogue between different peoples», Says Father Leproux.
A crew of young peace manufacturers
Eight groups of 25 young people, aged between 20 and 35, from each shore of the Mediterranean, will alternate on board the Goletta. Not only young Catholics, but also Muslims, Jews, Orthodox, lay people: all united by the desire to build peace. The archbishop of Barcelona, Cardinal Juan José Omella, highlights the educational value of the initiative: “The sea and the ship are extraordinary tools for the pedagogy of peace. On board, young people will have to learn to live together, to listen to, to overcome divergences, because on a boat you have to row together or do not go anywhere. This experience will be a school of life and dialogue».
During the crossing, the participants will not only be sailors, but also students and witnesses of a training course that will touch four fundamental aspects. They will have to “listen to the five sides”, collecting stories, testimonies and problems of the communities visited. They will organize events and festivals in each port, promoting meetings, conferences and cultural activities in collaboration with diocese, universities and local associations. They will live a concrete experience of synodality, dialogue and coexistence between different cultures and religions, and will help build a culture of peace, stimulating cooperation and shared responsibility initiatives.
One of the most ambitious objectives of the project will be the realization of a Blue Blue of the Mediterraneana document that will collect the experiences experienced by young people and the testimonies of the communities encountered along the journey. The book will be delivered to Pope Francis, to the mayors of the Mediterranean cities and the institutions involved, as a tangible sign of the commitment to peace. “It will not only be an on -board diary, but a concrete testimony of how the Mediterranean can return to being a meeting and dialogue space“says Cardinal Aveline.
The initiative is promoted by the Association Nice Espair – Ajdwhich for years has carried out social inclusion projects through navigation, in collaboration with Mar Yamengaged in dialogue formation, and with the diocesan association of Marseille. “It is not just a journey, but a movement that wants to involve all those who live in the banks of the Mediterranean,” says Father Leproux. «Each of us can be a manufacturer of peace. This ship is only the beginning of a journey that will continue well over 2025 ».
The Mediterranean, often told as a place of conflict and division, can return to being a sea of encounter and fraternity. And with the wind of hope in sails, The beautiful expans is preparing to prove it.
