“Lost Childhood”: Prayerful Opening of an Exhibition Held in Osnabrück Cathedral
On March 4, a prayerful opening ceremony of the exhibition “Lost Childhood” took place at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Osnabrück (Germany). The exhibition is dedicated to the memory of Ukrainian children who died as a result of Russian aggression against Ukraine.
This was reported by the Apostolic Exarchate for Ukrainians in Germany and Scandinavia.
The exhibition is supported by the Weltkirche department of the Diocese of Osnabrück, headed by Regina Wildgruber.
The Vicar General Ulrich Beckwermert and the choir of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Pastoral Care in Osnabrück took part in the prayer.
During the opening ceremony, Father Nazariy, priest of the Ukrainian community, addressed those present, emphasizing the spiritual and human dimensions of the tragedy: “Today, with hearts full of sorrow, we stand before God and entrust the suffering of our people to His merciful heart. We stand here today not only before the photographs and stories of these children—we stand before broken lives, before shattered dreams, before interrupted childhoods. Not only does this exhibition tell the story of the lives of these young children, but it also draws our attention to the war crimes that Russia is committing against Ukraine. It shows the cruel reality of war, whose victims include even the most innocent — children. These children should not be mere statistics — each of them has a name, a story, and will remain forever in our memory and prayers,” the priest said.
Vicar General Ulrich Beckwermert also addressed the participants: “Today we offer our prayers for the innocently killed children. We remember them before God and entrust them to His boundless mercy.”
The organizers invite everyone who has not yet had the opportunity to attend the exhibition at the cathedral. The exhibition will last until March 22 and is open to everyone.
The exhibition “Lost Childhood” is intended not only to preserve the memory of the innocent victims of war, but also to remind European society of the tragedy of Ukrainian children whose lives were cut short by war.
The UGCC Department for InformationPhoto credit: Thomas Arzner
