Parish of St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv asks Zelenskyy to facilitate its transfer to religious community

The Trustees and Parish Councils of St. Nicholas Church have addressed an open letter to the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, asking for assistance in the final decision on the transfer of the building of the St. Nicholas Church to a religious community and preventing the destruction of an outstanding historical and cultural monument.

"We are addressing you with deep heartache and unwavering hope on behalf of the Parish and Trustee Councils and the entire long-suffering community of the St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv... We bitterly observe how the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine continues to ignore the needs of the Catholic parish of St. Nicholas, leaving us in last place in resolving the issue of the return of the St. Nicholas Church. For 20 years, starting from December 19, 2005, contrary to the instructions of the President of Ukraine, the Ministry of Culture has been sabotaging the transfer of the church to our religious community... Our rights are clearly enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine. Moreover, our rightness is confirmed by a court decision, which the Ministry, instead of implementing, stubbornly challenges," the appeal to the president states.

The appeal reports that in his personal letter to Pope Francis in September 2020, Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted - "In accordance with the decree of the President of Ukraine, at a government meeting on September 16, 2020, a decision was made to instruct the Ministry of Culture to transfer the St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv for permanent use to the Roman Catholic parish."

"Dear Mr. President! It is up to you to make this decision. Not only the future of our church depends on your choice, but also the path that Ukraine will take - the path of truth and justice or the continuation of outdated pro-Soviet mistakes... With prayers for the wisdom of your decisions, for the victory of Ukraine and for the fulfillment of the promised decision, which we have been waiting for 20 years," the believers called on the head of state.

As reported, in January, the Dnipropetrovsk District Administrative Court decided to return the building of the St. Nicholas Church to full use by the religious community of the Roman Catholic Church.

In December 2024, the St. Nicholas Church was damaged as a result of a missile attack on Kyiv.