Like a pilgrimage

Hamza Atlas Aatiq participated in the Mediterranean Meetings in Tirana in September 2024. Here he shares his testimony, which resonates like an invitation to all young people in the Mediterranean to apply to participate in the MED 25 – Le Bel Espoir odyssey.

“Moroccan, Muslim, I am above all a seeker of truth, well into my thirties. My little life has been the scene of many twists and turns where grace and adversity clash in an endless duel. Equipped with my faith and my child's heart, I demonstrate a naive resilience to the bouts of euphoria, distress and vanity that mark the fate of every mortal. My motto is simple: everything passes, nothing lasts. God's plan transcends all understanding, dispenses with all questioning, and only forces gratitude.

Known since early childhood Ode to Joy Schiller, the ideals of human unity and brotherhood are embedded in the depths of my being. My curiosity towards others has always been authentic, sincere and without apprehension. My curiosity has led to a surprising realization: we are all made of flesh and capable of the same faults. As human beings, we are all in the same boat, without distinction of rank, race or sex. So why the wars, the schisms and the isolations? Why this inability to love each other mutually and unconditionally? Why go beyond love to the point of losing sight of it?

It was therefore quite natural that I rushed to register for the MED 24 Meetings as soon as I heard about it. In truth, this trip to Albania chose me, I was called. My many steps were only an illusion of choice. It was written.

MED 24 was a meeting where about fifty young people from twenty-five nations of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea participated for a week in Tirana, Albania, in sessions of dialogue and exchanges under the theme "Pilgrims of hope. Builders of peace". The prospect of meeting young people of my caliber was exhilarating, surreal even.

When I heard about my future destination, my friends were amazed. What interesting thing could possibly happen in Albania? Why Albania? But where is Albania? These questions, which were far-fetched and a bit mocking, were not without foundation. This country, with its sulphurous reputation and nestled in the heart of the Balkans, has few attractions for us North Africans. However, Shqipëria has captivated me, conquered me and its memory obsesses me imperiously.

The richly packed program alternated between dialogue sessions, discovery of the country and meetings with senior political leaders. Albania is unique, due to its painful past, its aspiration to clean up its governance and the ideal coexistence that brings together Christians and Muslims. In this regard, Pope Francis declared: "There, it's not that they tolerate each other, it's that they love each other." The Albanian people are of an unparalleled amenity, because they are composed of honest people, true people, good-natured people. As for the participants, these young people eager to learn and share, mostly Europeans but not only, they lacked neither resources nor good faith. Their Christian devotion did not fail to amaze us, us Muslims too imbued with our five prayers a day.

The week in Albania was a salvo of highlights, I cannot name them one by one. However, I clearly remember our stay in Shkodra in the northwest of the country. We were to lead a mini spiritual retreat. At the invitation of the session leader, we were called to withdraw for an hour to question our heart and our reason, to separate the voices distinctly, to see what each one reasons. I embarked on a slow walk where, through a formidable intimacy between me and Me, with the help of the lush forest, I saw my whole life unfold, the third movement of the Waldstein rang like a knell, the granite of my foolish heart burst into shreds. Finally, she revealed herself! The one who makes my harmony and my panharmony…

In Albania, our communion was not presumed or supposed, it was real and palpable. We were brothers and sisters in the full sense, filled with a joy unknown until then, determined to spread what we had received and shared together. We are now prophets of hope and instigators of peace. Amen.

You too, want to become a prophet of hope and instigator of peace? To participate in the MED 25 – Le Bel Espoir odyssey, Submit your application online here.