Assembly of Bishops and Youth

At the initiative of the Italian Episcopal Conference, a process of communion between the dioceses bordering the Mediterranean was initiated in Bari in 2020 (see video below). This process is in line with the spirit of the Mediterranean journeys of Pope Francis who, from Lampedusa (2013) to Marseilles (2023), via Tirana, Sarajevo, Lesbos, Cairo, Jerusalem, Cyprus, Rabat, Naples, Malta, etc is committed to making this sea a message of hope for all. In fact, in the Mediterranean, three continents meet and it is on its five shores (North Africa, Near East, Black Sea and Aegean Sea, Balkans, Latin Europe) that the three great monotheistic religions were born and that developed so many exchanges but also conflicts.

BISHOPS AND YOUNG PEOPLE

After Bari (2020), then Florence (2022), Marseille is therefore the third stage of this reflection. Like the two previous meetings, it will bring together Catholic bishops and representatives of other Churches to discuss the challenges of the Mediterranean rim, challenges common to all our dioceses but experienced differently due to very diverse local contexts. While in Florence, mayors from some sixty Mediterranean towns had been invited, in homage to Giorgio La Pira, former mayor of Florence and very committed to peace and interreligious dialogue, in Marseilles, young , of all religions and denominations, who are invited to join in the work of the bishops.