Catholic Parish Accuses Ministry of Culture of Obstructing Court-Ordered Transfer of St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv

On July 10, 2025, the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine filed a cassation appeal with the Supreme Court regarding the decision to transfer St. Nicholas Church to the Roman Catholic parish. The appeal was submitted on the final day of the court-mandated deadline for voluntary compliance. This was reported by RISU.

According to the parish priest Pavlo Vyshkovskyi, OMI, the Ministry’s move came immediately after a meeting between the President of Ukraine and Pope Leo XIV in Castel Gandolfo, during which, according to a member of parliament, the issue of returning the church to the parish community was raised.

“Unfortunately, this behavior by the Ministry was not unexpected. During the last two meetings in June, we clearly saw their lack of intention to implement the court decision. Although at the first meeting on May 20, Minister Mykola Tochytskyi assured us that ‘as a law-abiding citizen’ he would comply with the ruling, the Ministry’s current actions show otherwise — a substitution of promises with political manipulation and lack of principles,” said Pavlo Vyshkovskyi.

The Roman Catholic Church asserts that filing a cassation appeal instead of implementing the court’s ruling is yet another example of prolonged pressure on the parish.

“This is not an isolated case: over the past years, we have witnessed the same attitude — from violations of the Memorandum to ignoring citizens’ petitions and government promises,” the parish stated.

Parishioners also pointed to the contrast between the state’s actions in Kyiv and the situation in occupied Berdyansk, where a Roman Catholic church was recently looted by occupying forces, including the removal of its organ.

“What kind of ‘culture’ is represented by officials who make such decisions?” the faithful ask rhetorically, calling for open public discussion.

“Only a transparent position and principled civil society can restore trust in state institutions and protect the rights of believers. Let us pray for wisdom for all sides and for justice in our country,” the St. Nicholas parish community emphasized.

As reported, representatives of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and the House of Organ Music met with members of the Roman Catholic community in Kyiv, during which the RCC was told that it was impossible to comply with the court decision to transfer St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv to the ownership of a religious organization. The Ministry of Culture considers the court’s decision to transfer the church to the ownership of a religious community to be illegal.