The public is sounding the alarm: Ukraine's historic churches are being destroyed due to inaction of the Ministry of Culture

In Ukraine, public concern continues to grow about the deplorable condition and destruction of numerous historical religious buildings, the fate of which remains without proper attention from the Ministry of Culture. Particular indignation is caused by the situation when the ministry, ignoring the problem, uses accusations of improper preservation of monuments as a pretext for terminating contracts with communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

According to the Information and Education Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, on February 8, shocking photos of the ruins of the Catholic church in the village of Velykyi Khodachkov in Ternopil region were published on the Facebook page of the public organization «Ukraine Incognita». This site is just one of many examples of the destruction of churches and architectural monuments due to complete indifference and oversight on the part of the Ministry of Culture.

«In Velyky Khodachkov in Ternopil region, everything looks like the real parishioners in the church are turkeys and geese, and it is they who have brought it to such a state, » sarcastically note representatives of the Ukraine Incognita CS, emphasizing the extreme degree of neglect of the site. The activists claim that in Ternopil region alone this temple is not the only example of destruction of the country’s cultural heritage.

Against the background of such a critical situation, the Ministry of Culture, instead of taking measures to preserve the monuments, refers to the allegedly improper observance of the conditions for the preservation of sacred architectural objects as a reason for breaking agreements with the UOC communities on the use of the temples. At the same time, as the source notes, many of these temples were revived from ruins by the efforts of the Church itself. In the future, the authorities allow such objects, previously restored by believers, to be used as venues for cooking shows, dances, concerts and other similar secular events, which causes deep incomprehension and condemnation of the public.