The ministry said this in a statement seen by Ukrinform.
"This very church is where Ukrainians bid farewell to Taras Shevchenko 164 years ago. From now on, it belongs to the spiritual space of independent Ukraine," the statement reads.
The cathedral hosted the first nationwide interfaith prayer service, led by His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv and All Ukraine.
Participants also laid flowers at Shevchenko's grave on Chernecha Hill.
Tochytskyi noted the symbolic significance of the cathedral — a 12th-century landmark — being returned from the influence of the "Russian world" on the same date as Shevchenko's reburial anniversary.
"Each such step is a form of de-occupation. These steps bring us closer to victory. They give us strength to keep fighting, nourish our hopes, and affirm the meaning behind our pursuit of a dignified future. We bow our heads in honor of Taras Shevchenko and all those who gave their lives for a free Ukraine," Tochytskyi said.
The minister's visit also included a viewing of the international Ukrainian-Japanese art project WaU Art Fusion, which presents a cultural dialogue between the two nations through art.
The thousand-year-old St. George's Cathedral in Kaniv, Cherkasy region, was returned to state ownership. Based on a ruling by the Cherkasy Regional Commercial Court, the cathedral has been registered in the State Register of Property Rights and transferred to the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications, with operational management handed over to the Shevchenko National Reserve.
Photo credit: Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine
