Shmyhal vows to transfer St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv to RCC by May 1

St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv. Photo: novayapolsha.eu

The Ministry of Culture of Ukraine will take all necessary measures to transfer the St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv to the RCC religious community by May 1, 2024. Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal stated this in response to a petition for the transfer of the church to the Roman Catholic Church, published on the Cabinet's website.

He reminded that in 2021, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the Ministry of Culture and the RCC community, the purpose of which is to resolve the issue of transferring the church for permanent use by the RCC community.

The Prime Minister explained that the obligation of the Ministry of Culture to transfer the Church of St. Nicholas is regulated by the appendix to the memorandum signed on December 4, 2023.

According to Shmyhal, the government is considering the issue of relocating the "House of Music" from the church to the premises of the wing of the International Center for Culture and Arts of the Federation of Trade Unions.

At the same time, he noted that sanctions were imposed on the buildings of the International Center, which suspended the relocation process.

Shmyhal assured that after the relevant court decision, the Ministry of Culture will take measures to transfer the church to the community.

As reported by the UOJ, a petition for the transfer of St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv to the RCC gathered 25,000 votes.

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