RCC reminds govt. of its unfulfilled promise to hand over church in Kyiv

St. Nicholas’s Church in Kyiv, 1 May 2024. Photo: Suspilne

On 1 May 2024, a liturgy dedicated to the transfer of the building to the religious community of the Roman Catholic Church was held at St. Nicholas’s Church in Kyiv. The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy was supposed to do this by this day, reports Suspilne.

"When Ukraine gained independence, the authorities were asked to return what was stolen by the communists. However, it has been 33 years since the church was not returned to the parish. We have the keys but we have no rights whatsoever," said the rector of the church, Pavel Vyshkovsky.

He reminded that in December, the acting Minister Rostyslav Karandeev signed a document stating that the church would be transferred to the parish by May 1. Vyshkovsky said that he invited the official to today's service, but "has not received a response yet".

According to the rector, they have developed a plan for restoration work in the church. They intend to implement it after the building is transferred.

As reported by the UOJ, the Prime Minister of Ukraine assured that the Ministry of Culture would take all measures to transfer St. Nicholas’s Church of Kyiv to the Roman Catholic Church community by May 1, 2024. However, later, the Verkhovna Rada failed to vote on a parliamentary appeal to the President of Ukraine regarding the transfer of St. Nicholas’s Church of Kyiv to the religious community of the RCC.

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