Every meeting is an opportunity to reach people's hearts
The German Catholic organisation Renovabis has been a reliable partner of Caritas-Spes Ukraine for many years. This year, as part of its traditional two-week information campaign of the Sending of the Holy Spirit, Renovabis held series of events with the participation of the public, media and representatives of various German government institutions and partner organisations. The slogan ‘To Strengthen Peace. You make the difference‘ (’Damit FRIEDEN wächst. DU machst den Unterschied‘) became the key theme of these meetings. The organisers and participants souht answers to the complex and acute question: ‘How can we seek dialogue together and promote peace, reconciliation and forgiveness?’
On the part of Ukraine, Bishop Stanislav Shyrokoradiuk, the Ordinary of the Odessa-Simferopol Diocese, founder, First President and Advisor of Caritas-Spes Ukraine, and Olena Voychyk, Programme Director of the Religious Mission, were invited to participate in these events.
‘The campaign included meetings with various groups in several German cities. We are incredibly grateful to Renovabis for this unique opportunity to communicate with opinion leaders, representatives of various communities and humanitarian organisations,’ shares her impressions of the trip Olena Voychyk, ’It gave us the opportunity to touch people's hearts with our testimonies, to encourage them to act, and to share our experience of reactive work in a crisis. I also met with Ukrainian refugees and local schoolchildren. A few years ago, I accompanied the Witnesses of Time to Germany. These are Ukrainian Jews who survived the Holocaust. It was a very emotional trip for me. At the time, I could not even imagine that one day I would also stand in front of schoolchildren and students and tell them what war is and how I live now...’
After one of these meetings, Nathanael Liminski, Minister for Federal, European and International Affairs and the Media and Head of the State Chancellery of North Rhine-Westphalia, said: ‘Our solidarity with Ukraine was unwavering yesterday, and it remains so today and tomorrow. It is important to keep in touch with the victims precisely because the war is ongoing. Even after two years of the Russian invasion, we must not accept the Russian attack as normal.’
On 4 May, Saturday, representatives of different religions prayed together in front of the cathedral in Munster as a confirmation that everyone wants peace. Because ‘prayer is the seed from which peace grows’.
‘For each of us today, any meeting abroad becomes an opportunity to talk about our pain and sound the alarm, drawing attention to the need for immediate help. This trip was no exception, especially since we met with a clear understanding of the problems caused by the war and a desire to find the most effective ways to solve them,’ continues Olena Voychyk. - ‘Two years of war in Ukraine have left no one indifferent. Our participation in this campaign is yet another proof that citizens of other countries sincerely care about the fate of every Ukrainian.’
