Vatican City, September 5, 2025 – In the Consistory Hall, before the young members of the Mediterranean Council, Pope Leo XIV delivered a speech that may well outline a true "Mediterranean policy" of the Church. Not a reflection limited to interreligious dialogue, but a universal message: the Mediterranean must once again become a space of encounter, of life, and of hope—not a stage for conflict and division.
A Mediterranean to reconcile
"Do not give in to indifference or to the logic of walls," the Pope said, urging young people to have the courage to envision a different future. "Be seedlings of peace where the seeds of hatred and resentment are sown." With these powerful words, Leo XIV recalled the legacy of Mayor Giorgio La Pira, convinced that peace in the Mediterranean could become the foundation for peace throughout the world.
The Pontiff spoke of a sea that has too often become a "graveyard for the dead," clearly alluding to the tragedies of migrants. On the contrary, he stressed, it must return to being a "garden of life and a crossroads of fraternity."
Youth as protagonists
"You are not the tomorrow, you are the today of hope," he declared, urging young people not to wait for someone else to take the first step. For Leo XIV, the strength of the new generations lies in refusing resignation, rebelling against cynicism, and transforming evil into good through commitment, creativity, and concrete solidarity.
Religions and dialogue
A central part of the address was dedicated to religions: "They have been, and sometimes still are, manipulated to justify violence. We must refute with our lives these forms of blasphemy that obscure the Holy Name of God." Hence his appeal to cultivate spirituality and prayer as universal languages of encounter.
A message for Europe
The speech was also a warning to Europe, still too often tied to an outdated Eurocentric perspective. For the Pope, the Mediterranean must become the beating heart of a new vision: "The believer's horizon is not one of barbed wire, but of mutual acceptance." It is an invitation to rethink policies and relationships by placing human dignity and social justice at the center.
Looking to the future
The Pope's words open up concrete perspectives: it is hoped that, following in the footsteps of John Paul II and Francis, Leo XIV might travel to Morocco, a symbol of dialogue among the children of Abraham. Such a gesture would carry profound significance, reaffirming that the Mediterranean is a space of peace and not a border of fear.
The speech delivered today entrusts the young people of the Mediterranean Council with a mission: to be weavers of fraternity and artisans of a more just world, beginning precisely from the shores of the mare nostrum.
Marco Baratto
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