In late March, Franciscans International participated in the annual meeting of the Coordinating Committee of the Franciscan Mediterranean Network (RFMed) in Istanbul. Founded in 2019, a year when the United Nations documented the deaths of 1,335 people attempting to cross to Europe, the network aims to reconstruct the Mediterranean as a place of life, hope, and fraternal encounter through service to migrants and refugees, the promotion of dialogue and peace, and a commitment to young people.
The choice of Istanbul of the venue for the meeting was no coincidence: it is a bridge between East and West, a meeting place of cultures and religions, and it represent a concrete sign of dialogue and a call for peace in a global context marked by tensions and conflict.
The Committee’s work was structured around moments of mutual listening and sharing. The gathering started with a visit to a shelter of the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Hearth of Gemona in Büyükada. Here, the participants were able to listen directly to stories of migrants that offered an insight in the dynamics of suffering and hope that pervade the Mediterranean today.
While reviewing the network’s 2025 activities, RFMed also welcomed partners to speak and explore opportunities to strengthen its work. Brother Eunan McMullan OFM, FI’s Europe Program Coordinator, provided a broader perspective on global Franciscan commitments to support people on the move, such as the Franciscan Network for Migrants in the Americas and human rights advocacy at the United Nations. Through its Europe Program, FI has called attention the situation of migrants in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Looking specifically at the context of the Mediterranean, FI raised the alarming number of missing migrants in interventions at the Human Rights Council.
Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, the gathering confirmed the urgency and value of continuing to build relationships, promote dialogue, and support paths to peace in a space that remains a crucial frontier for fraternity amongst all peoples. FI will continue to support RFMed in this ministry.