"This Time in Odessa": Plans Are Underway to Transfer Another Historic Church in Ukraine to the Roman Catholic Church

A petition demanding that the historic building of the former school and seminary in Odesa be returned to the Roman Catholic Church—either as property or for use free of charge—has gathered the 25,000 signatures required for consideration by the Cabinet of Ministers. According to Suspilne, the initiative was launched by Viktor Lushchak, who is calling for historical justice to be restored regarding the complex of buildings known as the “Latin Quarter.”

According to the text of the petition, the building, located at 23 Nina Strokata Street, was constructed in 1849 with funds from the Catholic community. After the establishment of Soviet rule, the property, like other church assets, was nationalized. Currently, the building has the status of an architectural monument of local significance and is state-owned.

The petition emphasizes that, over the years since Ukraine gained independence, only the cathedral has been returned to the Catholic community, even though the historic complex consisted of 13 buildings. At present, the Odessa-Simferopol Diocese leases only a small portion of the premises, where classes for children are held and humanitarian activities are carried out. In 2023, following a change in the property’s registered owner, a real threat arose that the leasehold rights would be lost, prompting the faithful to seek the transfer of the building in accordance with the Law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations.”

As a reminder, we previously reported that St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Kyiv, which had long served as the House of Organ Music, was finally transferred to the local Roman Catholic parish.