Papal Nuncio to lead Liturgy on May 1 for the return of St. Nicholas Church to Roman Catholics in Kyiv

This was reported by the Roman Catholic parish of St. Nicholas in Kyiv. The liturgy will take place on May 1, Wednesday, at 18:30, on the premises of St. Nicholas Church, located at 75 Velyka Vasylkivska Street, Kyiv.

Representatives of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, the Ukrainian Parliament, and diplomatic representatives of foreign states in Ukraine will also take part in the liturgy.

St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv is the only non-Gothic building in the capital, designed by the renowned architect Gorodetsky. During Soviet times, the Bolsheviks seized the church from Catholics, and after Ukraine gained independence, it was not returned to its owners – the religious community. The condition of the building has deteriorated, especially after a fire in 2021. To save this architectural monument, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the religious organization "Religious Community Parish of St. Nicholas Kyiv-Zhytomyr Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Kyiv" and the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine No. 7/27/21 dated November 5, 2021, according to clause 4.3 "the parties agreed that the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine will facilitate the transfer of the church premises to the Religious Community for permanent use after the completion of emergency repair work, but no later than June 1, 2022." However, the conditions of the Memorandum were not met at that time.