text: The 150 people killed in the Germanwings air disaster in the French Alps have been remembered at a memorial service in Germany today. The Cardinal who led the service at the historic Cologne cathedral urged forgiveness for all of the victims - including co-pilot Andreas Lubitz who is widely blamed for 'deliberately' crashing the jet after locking the captain out of the cockpit. An investigation into the disaster revealed that Lubitz previously suffered from severe depression and his home computer showed he had researched ways of committing suicide. German President Joachim Gauck said the tragedy had not only provoked grief and sorrow, adding: 'We're being confronted with a disturbing act of destruction. Speaking at the ceremony, he said: 'We can't find an answer to the question of why so many people had to die because of a decision that one person made.' Small wooden angels were placed on the pews to comfort the 500 bereaved relatives of the doomed flights who were among 1,500 to attend the touching service. And flags have been flown at half-mast across the country as political and religious leaders join hundreds of bereaved relatives in the west-German city this morning. Memorial: German Chancellor Angela Merkel (second from left) and President Joachim Gauck (second from right) among were among the 1,500 attending a ceremony to remember the victims of the tragic Germanwings air disaster at Cologne Cathedral (pictured) today . Compassion: German Cardinal Rainer Woelki (left) - who is leading today's service - urged forgiveness for all the crash's victims, including the co-pilot blamed for bringing the plane down . Memorial: 150 candles have been lit in front of the altar of the cathedral where Cardinal Rainer Woelki will lead the service . Grateful: North Rhine-Westphalia's State Premier Hannelore Kraft (left) shakes hands with a member of emergency services on behalf of the church . Humbled: Kraft paid her respects to those killed in the air disaster by bowing in front of the candles lit in their memory . Upset: Meanwhile hundreds of emotional locals (pictured) gathered to watch and listen to the memorial service outside the cathedral . Leaders: German Chancellor (centre) attended the memorial - as did President Joachim Gauck (top left) who said the tragedy had provoked grief and sorrow . Ceremony: Lufthansa Chief Executive Carsten Spohr (left) and Germanwings Managing Director Thomas Winkelmann (right) attended the memorial service for the 150 victims of Germanwings flight 4U 9525 . Greetings: North-Rhine Westphalia's Prime Minister Hannelore Kraft (centre) welcomed Lufthansa boss Spohr ahead of the ceremony which will be broadcast nationwide . Tragedy: Le Vernet mayor Francois Balique (left), Seyne les Alpes Mayor Francis Hermitte (right) and Prads-Haute-Bleone Mayor Bernard Bartolini (right) - who preside over the area where the plane crashed - were also in attendance . Touching: The moving ceremony will also be broadcast on screens outside and to German homes across the country, with one resident saying they are all 'touched by this horrific catastrophe' Heart-breaking: Political and religious leaders (pictured) joined hundreds of bereaved relatives in the west-German city this morning to remember those who died in the plane crash . Blamed: French prosecutors revealed the plane's co-pilot Andreas Lubitz (pictured) 'deliberately' brought down the plane after locking its captain out of the cockpit . Victims: The jet which was heading to Dusseldorf in Germany from Barcelona was carrying 150 passengers - including young school children - who all died when it crashed (pictured) A white flag with a black cross blew in the wind on the square outside where hundreds more people amassed to watch the ceremony on large screens, while buses and trains in the city stood still for one minute before the service started. Inside the cathedral, 150 candles were lit in front of the altar where speeches were given - one for every person killed in the disaster. The country's Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Joachim Gauck attended the service - as did Spain's Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez and French Transport Minister Alain Vidalies. Lufthansa chairman Carsten Spohr was also among the 1,500 guests, including 500 of the victims' families. The event at Europe's largest Gothic church in the west-German city was broadcast live on screens outside the cathedral and to millions of viewers nationwide. Cologne resident Ursula Mund said she would be among those watching on the large square in the city centre. The 53-year-old said: 'Of course this is a special occasion. We have all talked a lot about what happened and are still baffled by it. We are still saddened and I feel very moved today.' Michael Senker who will follow the ceremony on television said: 'It's important to me to watch because all of Germany has been particularly affected by this tragedy. We all feel touched by this horrible catastrophe.' Remembrance: Among the attendees are 500 bereaved family members whose relatives died in the horrific crash in the French Alps . Bereaved: Touching tributes and flowers (pictures) were left outside Cologne Cathedral this morning as the entire country mourns the victims of the air disaster . Moving: Mourners left flowers and touching messages to the both the victims of the air disaster and the families they left behind . Devastated: The memorial at Cologe Cathedral today (pictured) follow a memorial event near the disaster site at the village of Le Vernet in the French Alps . Never forget: Posters of black ribbons (pictured)bearing the flight number of the doomed Germanwings jet have been displayed near the cathedral where the memorial is taking place today . Mourning: Flags have been flown at half-mast across the country, including on Germany's parliament building in Berlin (pictured) Union: The memorial service will be led by the Archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, and the president of the Protestant Church of Westphalia . Forgiveness: Cologne's Cardinal Rainer Woelki - who will lead the ceremony at the cathedral (pictured) - urged compassion for all those who died in the crash including Lubitz . Mourners lay flowers and lit candles on the stairways leading to the cathedral - and outside the city's main railway station nearby. A bouquet of white tulips left at the foot of the cathedral had a card with the message 'depression is incalculable,' referring to co-pilot Andreas Lubitz who suffered from the illness. Cologne's Cardinal Rainer Woelki - who will lead the ceremony - urged compassion for all those who died in the crash including Lubitz, saying: 'There are 150 victims.' The Germanwings Airbus 320 was en route to Duesseldorf from Barcelona when it crashed in the French Alps on March 24 - killing everyone aboard. Germany was devastated by the loss of its citizens which included 16 young students and two teachers from a high school in the small town of Haltern-am-See who were returning from a class trip to Spain. Co-pilot Lubitz, who had been diagnosed as suicidal in the past, is believed to have deliberately flown the plane into the mountainside after locking the captain out of the cockpit. Disastrous: Among those who died when the plane went down in the French Alps (pictured) were 16 young students and two teachers from a high school in the small town of Haltern-am-See . Remains: Co-pilot Lubitz who is widely blamed for the crash had previously been diagnosed as suicidal . Investigators suspect Lubitz locked the captain out of the cockpit before putting the plane into descent and increasing the jet's speed several times as it went down. Aviation industry doctors have since demanded that German pilots undergo more extensive medical checks, while several airlines worldwide have changed rules to require two crew in cockpits at all times. Lufthansa - the parent company of Germanwings - cancelled its 60th anniversary celebrations set for April. It also placed memorial pages in major newspapers dedicated to the memory of passengers and staff who died in the disaster saying: 'We will never forget them.' Loved ones of victims previously attended a memorial event near the disaster site at the village of Le Vernet in the French Alps. On April 13, foreign ministers of Germany, Spain and France also paid tribute to the victims at Barcelona airport, where the passengers embarked.
target: 1,500 people are attending the touching ceremony at Cologne cathedral .
  Among them are 500 relatives of those who died in Germanwings crash .
  The doomed plane was 'deliberately' crashed by its 'depressed' co-pilot .
  Cardinal Woelki has urged compassion for all victims, including Lubitz .