The Ministry of Culture continues to block the transfer of the Mykolaiv Church to the Roman Catholic Church community despite the Supreme Court's decision

The Ministry of Culture of Ukraine continues to sabotage the implementation of the decision of the Supreme Court of Ukraine, according to which the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy is obliged to transfer ownership of St. Nicholas Church, which is used as a place of worship and a venue for organ music, to the Roman Catholic community of the capital. In this regard, the Roman Catholic community appealed to the newly appointed Prime Minister of Ukraine, Yulia Svyrydenko. In its statement, the Roman Catholic community hinted that the Ministry of Culture is using the church as an object for illegal enrichment. This was reported by RISU.

It is reported that the historic shrine, which suffered a major fire in 2021, is now under threat due to the inaction of the Ministry of Culture and the long delay in transferring the church to the community. Despite numerous promises, memoranda, and even court decisions, the Mykolaiv Church has still not been transferred to the parish community for permanent use.

The fire that broke out on the night of September 4, 2021, destroyed the unique organ and damaged part of the building. According to the rector, the cause was a short circuit in the electrical wiring, which the balance holder — the National House of Organ and Chamber Music (NBOKM) — had not replaced since the 2000s. Despite a massive fundraising campaign for the restoration (up to UAH 25 million), the cost of the work was repeatedly revised, and part of the money remained in the NHOCM’s accounts.

“For four months, the church just stood there with broken windows: frost, snow, rain… all of it got inside. The balance holder prepared the project documentation, and when it was done, the work itself was completed in less than a month,” — says the rector.

The rector emphasizes that the parish enjoys the support of international partners, the Vatican, and Ukrainian patrons. In particular, guarantees were received from the Polish government, Catholics from the US, Italy, and Switzerland, as well as support from Ukrainian foundations. But without the official transfer of the building, restoration projects remain blocked.

“We even have letters of guarantee. They are from Catholics in the US, Italy, Spain, Belgium, and the Polish government. … But we are told: ‘Sorry, we cannot help in this way if the Ministry of Culture does not fulfill its obligations,’” — he added.

Earlier, we reported that the Supreme Court of Ukraine ordered the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy to transfer St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv to the Roman Catholic religious community of the capital. The parish of St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv reported that the Supreme Court of Ukraine (Cassation Administrative Court) rejected the cassation appeals of the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine and the National House of Organ and Chamber Music.