The Ministry of Culture denies delaying the transfer of St. Nicholas Church in Kiev and promises a speedy completion of the procedure

The Ukrainian Culture Ministry has officially denied accusations that the procedure of transferring the St. Nicholas Church in Kiev to the religious community has been delayed. According to media reports, the procedure for transferring the facility to the Roman Catholic Church continues despite criticism from the Verkhovna Rada commissioner for human rights, Dmytro Lubinets.

Earlier, on December 11, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets accused the Ministry of Culture of sabotaging the transfer of St. Nicholas Church to the Roman Catholic parafia. According to the religious organization, the building is in critical condition and no measures are taken to preserve it, while the transfer process is deliberately delayed.

In response to LIGA.net’s information request, the Ministry of Culture stated that «the accusations of the VR Commissioner for Human Rights…. The Ministry of Culture does not recognize the accusations of the VR commissioner for human rights, as all official appeals of the commissioner were answered exhaustively in accordance with the established procedure». The ministry emphasized that the procedure for the transfer of the religious building for non-paid use has already been initiated.

The Ministry also recalled the decision of the Dnipropetrovsk District Administrative Court of January 24, 2025, which recognized as unlawful the inactivity of the Ministry of Culture with regard to the non-fulfillment of the President’s order of December 9, 2005 on the transfer of the Church of St. Nicholas for use to the religious community of the Parafia of St. Nicholas of Kyiv-Zhytomyr diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Kyiv. This decision has already entered into legal force.

Currently, according to the Ministry of Culture, measures are being taken to transfer the building with the area of 2655.10 square meters to the religious organization without payment. The procedure includes interaction with the state organization «National House of Organ and Chamber Music of Ukraine», on the balance sheet of which the church is now located, to obtain the necessary documents. In addition, after a corresponding request from the religious organization, the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience has already approved the transfer of the church building to it.

The Ministry of Culture stressed that the process of preparing a decision on the transfer of the object to the religious organization without payment continues. The Ministry expressed its intention to «as soon as possible to complete the process of transfer of the Church of St. Nicholas by signing a contract of unpaid use (loan) between the state organization «National House of Organ and Chamber Music of Ukraine» and the religious organization «Religious Community of the Parish of St. Nicholas of Kyiv-Zhytomyr diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Kiev.

Recall, in the village of Yagilnitsa, Chortkovsky district, Ternopil region, the ancient church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary will be officially transferred to the Roman Catholic community for free use.