DESS: Return of St. Nicholas Church to RCC is restoration of justice

Yelensky at St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv. Photo: DESS

Ukraine’s State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience called the transfer of St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv to the Catholic community “the restoration of historical justice,” the agency’s press service reports.

“The State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience has consistently upheld and continues to uphold the need to return religious buildings and property expropriated by the communist regime to believers,” DESS said.

The agency stated that “the return of St. Nicholas Church has become an important milestone in the process of restoring historical justice and the violated rights of believers.” Why officials take a fundamentally opposite position toward the UOC is left unaddressed.

According to the DESS press service, on January 7, 2026, a ceremonial handover of the church took place. Those in attendance included Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, Minister of Culture Tetiana Berezhna, Deputy Heads of the Office of the President Iryna Vereshchuk and Olena Kovalska, Member of Parliament Rostyslav Tystyk, Apostolic Nuncio Visvaldas Kulbokas, DESS head Yelensky.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv was handed over to the Catholic community for 50 years.

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