After Naples, the next port of call was Ostia on 17 October. This allowed Pope Leo XIV to join the sailing ship and the last young people to board. He told them: ‘The dialogue you are promoting across the Mediterranean can be a sign of hope for the world… We have a shared responsibility to care for Creation and for one another. May your generation continue to promote peace.’
The arrival of the Bel Espoir this weekend (25-26 October) in Marseille was a time of great joy!
Three Helper sisters from the Marseille community were there to welcome the boat and took part in the Festival for Peace in the Mediterranean. The programme included conferences and workshops, a solidarity picnic, dancing… and a Eucharistic celebration at the cathedral to close this odyssey and give thanks to the Lord.
“I give thanks to God for the realisation of this incredible and crazy project! It reminds me (especially today in this fractured world) of the power of dialogue, the importance of listening to the experiences of others in order to overcome my prejudices, and the need to act in hope by taking initiatives within my means to build peace. If everyone takes an initiative within their means, things can move forward. Peace begins in my heart. Every individual act is important. I hope that all the seeds of peace sown in the hearts of all those who have followed this beautiful project from near or far will bear abundant fruit for our world!” Marie
