“Deteriorating for decades”: RCC asks Zelensky to return its church in Kyiv

St. Nicholas Parish of the Roman Catholic Church in Kyiv appeals to Zelensky. Photo: Screenshot from the parish video

The Roman Catholic Church (RCC) has once again “urgently” called on the authorities to return St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv and urged the Ministry of Culture to comply with the court’s ruling. On February 24, 2025, the Catholic parish of St. Nicholas released a video appeal to the President of Ukraine.

The pastor and parishioners emphasized that they have always taken care of this church.

“We also dealt with the aftermath of the Russian missile strikes on December 20, 2024 – saving the shattered stained-glass windows of the façade; together with concerned Kyiv residents, we cleaned up and covered the broken windows. The Ministry of Culture and the National House of Music have still not repaired the damaged roof or even done the slightest thing – not even removing the hanging glass in the towers,” they stated.

The video message also notes that although millions in state funds have been allocated for the upkeep of this building, it has been deteriorating for decades, even without the impact of war.

As the UOJ previously reported, on January 24, the Dnipropetrovsk District Administrative Court ruled to transfer St. Nicholas Church to the religious community “Parish of St. Nicholas of the Kyiv-Zhytomyr Diocese”.

The Ministry of Culture responded to the court ruling, stating that the church had already been transferred to the Roman Catholic community in 2022. The ministry also reported that after the missile strike, it prepared a defect assessment and cost estimate documentation for emergency repairs.

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