Ostia: Amid the gentle winds of the Tyrrhenian Sea, Pope Leo XIV on Friday afternoon boarded the Med25 Bel Espoir, a French sailing vessel anchored at the Port of Ostia, to greet a group of 25 young people from across the globe who have been voyaging together across the Mediterranean to promote peace, dialogue, and understanding.
The visit, filled with warmth and informal conversation, saw the Pope mingling freely with the young crew sharing stories, laughter, and even a cup of coffee and pastries below deck. “You represent hope in a divided world,” Pope Leo told them, applauding their courage and unity in a time marked by “hatred, violence, and polarisation.”
The Bel Espoir (“Beautiful Hope”) a restored 1940s French ship has spent the past eight months navigating from port to port, carrying its youthful crew through La Valletta, Tunis, Crete, Istanbul, Ravenna, and Naples, spreading a message of fraternity that transcends borders and faiths.
In Istanbul, the group met Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, a moment the Pope recalled fondly as a symbol of spiritual unity across Christian traditions. The ship was originally scheduled to dock in Civitavecchia, but at Pope Leo’s personal request, the route was changed to Ostia, a coastal city deeply intertwined with the stories of St. Augustine and St. Monica, and, as the Pope reminded them, “an important harbour in the history of the Church and the world.”
Standing on the deck as sea breezes swept across the port, Pope Leo XIV spoke to the youth in English, his voice both tender and resolute:
“We can be united even if we come from different countries, languages, cultures, and religions because we are all human beings.”
The young sailors, representing different continents and creeds, offered the Pope three gifts: a hand-drawn sketch of the ship, a ‘White Book of the Mediterranean’ chronicling their experiences, and a signed map of their voyage. Accepting them with visible emotion, Pope Leo called their journey “a sign of hope for humanity.”
Before parting, Pope Leo left the group with three guiding words dialogue, bridges, and peace.
“Dialogue,” he said, “is the key to listening and understanding one another.” The Pope encouraged them to “speak with sincerity, even when it’s difficult,” reminding them that dialogue begins with respect and humility.
“Learn to build bridges not only across the Mediterranean but among all peoples. You live together on a small boat, and you must learn to share, respect, and support one another. That lesson is one the whole world needs.”
Finally, he spoke of peace, turning to several of the participants from Palestine:
“Peace is not a word it is a way of living. We are all sons and daughters of one God, sharing one Earth. You have a great mission: to be builders of peace, to care for creation, and to care for one another.”
The Pontiff’s presence aboard the Bel Espoir was not merely symbolic. His visit underscored the Vatican’s growing focus on interreligious youth engagement and practical peacebuilding. Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille, who first launched the project, accompanied the Pope and spoke of how the initiative “turns the Mediterranean too often a place of division into a sea of encounter.”
As the Pope prepared to depart, he once again expressed his gratitude, repeating joyfully, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” His words were met with applause and tears from the young sailors, who then joined him in singing a multilingual hymn of peace “Peace, pace, salam, paix.”
With the sun setting over the port, the Bel Espoir raised anchor and set sail once more this time toward Corsica its sails catching the fading light as the Pope waved from the pier.
In his final words to them, Pope Leo XIV reminded the youth of their mission:
“You are the builders of a future that believes in peace over fear, bridges over walls, and humanity over hatred. Carry that hope wherever the winds take you.”
As the ship disappeared over the horizon, its name Beautiful Hope echoed the very sentiment Pope Leo had proclaimed: that even amid global conflict and division, the faith and courage of young hearts can still keep the world afloat.