Odessa officially joined the Pan-European Day of mourning and remembrance
Fallen soldiers were prayerfully commemorated in Odessa, on the Walk of Fame. Exactly at midday, May 8, heads of various denominations gathered together in prayer. The authorities came to listen to it at the Tomb of the Unknown sailor, along with simple Odessa residents, whoheld tulips, daffodils and lilacs in their hands in order to put them to the Eternal Flame and the improvised Memorial to the Heaven’s Hundred, as reportedby RISU journalist Anna Voloshyna.
"When I was little, we often played war. When I grew older, I often recalled my grandmother. She used to start crying when looking at the photos of her husband, my grandfather, who had died during the Second World War. Maybe someone remained a child, playing the war, but the Bible says that the peacekeepers will be always the blessed children of God. One should not play war, one should pray for peace!” said Bishop Peter Serdychenko, Head of the Evangelical Spiritual Center Awakening when speaking to the audience.
“In the history of Ukraine there was alot of suffering, but despite it the Ukrainians always fought for independence. So, I beg the Creator, that he gave Ukraine prosperity, and not only to Ukraine but to the entire world, so that the parents were not suffering. We ask Allah for harmony and peace,” was praying imam of Odessa Muslim community MamedMuradov.
The first such joint prayer was held in Odessa in 2011, but four years after it first took place at an official level. As emphasized by representatives of the Roman Catholic Church, this year Ukraine has officially joined the first European Day of mourning and memory.
In total, in Odessa the Orthodox, Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Muslims, and Buddhists prayed for peace and tranquility. Once again, they reminded of continuity and respect to one’s origins, of repentance and reconciliation.
Pupils of Odessa schools have prepared a small performance: first,they made upa poppy of black and red balls, and then released balloons into the sky as a symbol of freedom and memory of the victims.
