"Save the cathedral together!" Roman Catholic Community of St. Nicholas Church prepares a peaceful action in front of the Cabinet of Ministers

03.11.2023, 15:57
State
"Save the cathedral together!" Roman Catholic Community of St. Nicholas Church prepares a peaceful action in front of the Cabinet of Ministers - фото 1
The Roman Catholic community of St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv invites everyone to join a peaceful action titled "Save the Church Together" on November 6 at 11:00 AM in front of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine (19 Ivan Franko Street).

The purpose of this action is to draw public attention to the issue of the church's deterioration and the importance of preserving St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv.

Organizers also welcome media representatives to participate.

For additional information, please contact Father Pavlo, the rector of St. Nicholas Church, at +38 050-419-64-98.

Previously, renowned religious scholar Lyudmyla Fylypovych registered a petition on the Cabinet of Ministers' website, demanding the return of St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv to the community.

Reference: St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv is the city's only non-Gothic building designed by the well-known architect Horodetsky. During Soviet times, Bolsheviks confiscated the church from Catholics. Even after Ukraine gained independence, the church was not returned to its rightful owners, the religious community. The building's condition continues to deteriorate. Following a fire in 2021, its state has worsened. To save this architectural heritage, a Memorandum of Cooperation between the religious organization "Religious Community of St. Nicholas Parish of the Kyiv-Zhytomyr Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Kyiv" and the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, No. 7/27/21, dated November 5, 2021 (hereinafter - the Memorandum) was concluded. According to clause 4.3 of the Memorandum, "the parties agreed that the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine will facilitate the transfer of the Church building to the Religious Community for permanent use, in accordance with the established legislation, after the completion of emergency repair works, but in any case no later than June 1, 2022."

However, the terms of the Memorandum were not adhered to, and its validity expires on November 5, 2023.

Furthermore, according to the Cabinet of Ministers' Decree No.1203-r of September 16, 2020, "Certain Issues of Implementing the Decree of the President of Ukraine of August 18, 2020, No. 329", the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy was given a directive to ensure, by the end of 2023, the implementation of the "House of Music" project through new construction; relocating the state enterprise "National House of Organ and Chamber Music of Ukraine" to the newly constructed House of Music; and transferring the immovable property - the building of St. Nicholas Church (Kyiv, 75 Velyka Vasylkivska Street) to the Religious Organization "Religious Community of St. Nicholas Parish of the RCC Diocese of Kyiv-Zhytomyr." However, the conditions of the order were not fulfilled.

'Save the cathedral together!' Roman Catholic Community of St. Nicholas Church prepares a peaceful action in front of the Cabinet of Ministers - фото 124314