Thank you very much, Your Eminence, for your words.

I will begin in Italian, in order to greet all those who live in Ostia and in this area, because it is truly an important port in the history of the world and of the Church, as well as in the history of Saint Augustine and Saint Monica.  Being an Augustinian, I have come to this area many times, because Ostia has always been a very important port, and it is very important today because you are here!  Thank you for being here!  I greet everyone on this beautiful afternoon.

Now I will change to English.

I am very happy to have been able to come here this afternoon and to be a part of this brief moment and this very long journey that you have been making yourselves, along with so many other young people, over this past period of time.  The world today, more than words, needs signs and expressions that give hope.  From the very name of this boat, as well as from the presence of all of you here today, you are indeed a sign of hope for the Mediterranean and for the world.  I would center my words on three ideas that I am sure you have experienced during your time living, working and travelling together on this boat around the Mediterranean.

The first word is dialogue.  How important it is to learn to talk to one another, to sit down, to learn, to listen, to express your own ideas and your own values, as well as to have respect for one another so that other people will feel that they are truly being listened to.  The experience of dialogue which you are promoting around the different countries of the Mediterranean is indeed a sign of hope for the world and also for all of us, and for yourselves, too, as you learn to experience living an important aspect of human life.  This helps all of us to learn to respect one another.  That is indeed a sign of hope.

From dialogue, I would say, we could talk precisely about building bridges; not necessarily a bridge across the Mediterranean, but a bridge among all of us as people from many different nations.  I intentionally asked each person as I went around greeting everyone: “Where are you from?”  How wonderful an experience it is to get to know people, as you travel literally around the Mediterranean being from different countries and cultures, and speaking different languages.  You found a way to do this in a very human way.  I am sure that when there are this many people living on a boat that is this small – I have not yet gone down below – you have to learn how to live with one another, and how to respect one another, and how to work out the difficulties.  That, too, is a great experience for all of you as young people, but something that you can teach all of us.

And of course, the third idea, which is so important – and some of you told me you are from Palestine – is learning to be builders of peace.  We must learn to be promoters of peace in a world that more and more tends towards violence, hatred, separation, distance and polarization.  We can come together even though we are from different countries, have different languages, different cultures, different religions, and yet we are all human beings.  We are all sons and daughters of the one God.  We are all living together in this world, and we all have a shared responsibility, together, to care for creation, care for one another and promote peace throughout the world.

So I congratulate all of you, and I am very happy to be here this afternoon, just to share these few moments with you.  Thank you for being a part of this sign to the world, which indeed gives us all hope.

May your generation, and many more young people like you, continue to promote this kind of initiative that will indeed promote peace throughout the world.

God bless you all and thank you very much.

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[Further words at the conclusion of the visit]

The missionary experience, I think, opened my own heart and mind to the understanding that we need to work together in the world to make some kind of difference.  With the many large challenges we face, I am convinced that with the technology and production capacity that we have in the world today, there should be no one who goes hungry.  Yet we know very well, it is a fact, that hunger exists.  That is one issue.  And violence also exists…

What is your name?

[Response]: Hanan.

[Hanan] said, “you know, if this number of people can live in this small amount of space and be at peace, and become friends, why cannot we do that in a world that is so large?”  Of course we could.  Yet it takes a willingness to do that, it takes a strong sign and witness of so many people, including yourselves, to spread that message.

As missionaries, of course we try to do that.  There are so many other people who try to do that as well.  But I always remember a line from Saint Augustine – here we are in Ostia – who said: “If you want to change the world and make the world a better place, you have to begin by changing yourself.”  I hope and pray that for each one of you, that was a lesson that you have also learned during this time.  How do I become a better person?  How do I become a promoter of peace?  How do I become someone who lives as being really committed to promoting justice, fraternity, understanding, and respect for one another?  And to say, I do that because of my faith in God and because of the Gospels.  I believe Jesus Christ taught that very clearly, and he saved us all through his own suffering on the cross.  He invites us to imitate his life and to serve one another.  With that additional thought, I think we can indeed change the world.  Thank you.