AN interactive learning session is being held by York Minster to consider how people have historically tried to reconcile their attitudes to war and violence with a belief in God.

Among the items to feature in the event Praying For Victory: The Legacy of War Past and Present, will be a portable communion set used on the Western Front in the First World War by Eric Milner White, a young padre who later became Dean of York.

The event on Wednesday at the Old Palace, Dean’s Park, is one of York Minster’s Collections Unlocked interactive learning sessions.

Led by the historic collections team, the objects from the Minster’s collection will be used to explore questions of whether war can ever be defended or whether there is such thing as a “just war”, if it is possible to reconcile the tension between war and conscience and to consider what we hope for when we pray for victory.

Canon Chris Collingwood, chancellor of York Minster, said: “War completely changes our perceptions of what is right and wrong, what is moral and immoral.

“The objects in this session will show how our political leaders have justified war through the ages, the impact on those who fight and die and the effects on their families and loved ones.”

The session will also examine propaganda sheets and sermons from the English Civil war, showing both sides – the Roundheads and the Cavaliers – making the claim that God was on their side and would lead them to victory.

There will also be a chance to see copies of Mudhook, a newspaper produced in 1917 by and for soldiers on the Front, which records what soldiers really thought about the war and their enemy.

Collections Unlocked: Praying for Victory: The Legacy of War Past and Present, will take place on at 7pm in the Upper Hall of the Old Palace, Dean’s Park, York.

Tickets cost £5 and can be booked in advance online through www.yorkminster.org or by telephone on 01904 557208. For information about Collections Unlocked and York Minster’s Adult Learning go to www.yorkminster.org