Petition for transfer of Kyiv Nicholas Church to RCC gathers 25,000 votes

Members of the RCC congregation of St Nicholas Church. Photo: Credo

A petition for the transfer of St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv to the Roman Catholic Church's religious community has gained 25,000 votes, according to Credo. The petition was registered on the Cabinet of Ministers' website on October 27, 2023.

The petitioners are seeking the transfer based on the provisions made in June 2022 through a relevant decree of the Cabinet of Ministers and a Memorandum between the Ministry of Culture and the parish, which, however, has not been implemented.

Father Pavlo Vyshkovskyi, the rector of the St. Nicholas parish, stated that signing the petition is evidence that people are heeding the voice of God's law during the war.

"We are united not only by the desire to save the church but also by a simple human thirst for justice, so that this house of God, which the communists stole from the Church back in 1938 and which has been used and profited from by various followers ever since under the pretext of unjust human laws—so that this church can finally be returned to its owners, the parish whose ancestors built it," he added.

It's worth noting that in the fall of 2021, Catholics demanded that the President hand over St. Nicholas Church to them after a fire incident, to which Zelensky responded with a refusal.

As reported by the UOJ, the Supreme Court of Ukraine ordered the UOC to transfer the St. Nicholas Cathedral in Kremenets, Ternopil region, to the state historical and architectural reserve.

Read also

Italian media: Ukrainian authorities persecute the country’s largest confession

The Italian outlet L’Identità reported on mass searches, the arrests of clergy, and the ban on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which it describes as the largest Church in Ukraine.

Festival marking Orthodox Youth Day held in UOC's Volyn Eparchy

In Lutsk, the UOC’s annual youth forum brought together parish groups, clergy, and participants in a creative program for Orthodox Youth Day.

London mayor switches on festive Ramadan lights

In London, the Muslim mayor inaugurated Ramadan illuminations: a central street was decorated with a “Happy Ramadan” sign and Islamic-style ornaments.

DESS: Ramadan is a time of special closeness to the Almighty

DESS congratulated Ukraine’s Muslims on the beginning of Ramadan.

Jehovah’s witness pastor sentenced in Lviv region for refusing TRC service

A court in Lviv region sentenced a Jehovah’s Witness pastor to five years in prison for unauthorized absence from his unit and for refusing to serve as a TRC cook.

Orthodox Church in America raises $700,000 for Ukrainians in Poland

An OCA representative met with Metropolitan Sava and discussed humanitarian support for Ukrainian refugees in Poland.