The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church may be deprived of the cathedral. The Ministry of Culture of Ukraine has discontinued the agreement on shared use of the building of St. Andrew's Church in Kiev, whose term expired in March 2015. This was reported by the Ministry of Culture at the request of Ukrayinski Novyny.
The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church may be deprived of the cathedral. The Ministry of Culture of Ukraine has discontinued the agreement on shared use of the building of St. Andrew's Church in Kiev, whose term expired in March 2015. This was reported by the Ministry of Culture at the request of Ukrayinski Novyny.
In fact, today the UAOC performs worship in the cathedral without any legal status and guarantees for such status in the near future.
As Ukrayinski Novyny learned from a source in the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, representatives of the Church have long been seeking for several years’ extension of the agreement on shared use of the house with the Ukrainian authorities. They get refusesand a proposal to extend the contract for no more than six months, without a guarantee of its further renegotiation. According to the priests, “off the record” the officials admit that they are unsure of the need to continue such agreement because of the initiated association process of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church with Ukrainian Orthodox Church- Kyiv Patriarchate.
St. Andrew's Church in Kyiv (built in 1754 by architect Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli) has been the Cathedral of the Holy Apostle Andrew of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church since August 9, 2001, when pursuant to Kyiv city council’s Decree 1005 the UAOC was permitted to perform wrshipp in this church.
In May 2008, there were reports about the decision of the President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko on the transfer of St. Andrew’s Church from the balance of St Sophia of Kyiv National Reserve to the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, but the relevant decree has never been published.
Currently, St. Andrew's Church is on the balance of St SophiaNational Reserve and UAOC has the right to use it as active church under the contract on joint free use.