Irkutsk authorities are against transferring the church to Catholics

Representatives of the Vatican, Archbishop Antonio Mennini and Monseigneur Ante Jozich, arrived in Irkutsk to get acquainted with the life of the Catholic community. It is expected that they will hold a meeting with members of the regional administration, where they will discuss the issue of a possible transfer of the building of the church, now occupied by a branch of the regional philharmonic society, to the Catholic diocese.

However, the authorities believe that the building should continue to be used as a concert hall. "The ensemble of the Polish church in Irkutsk is a monument of history and culture and cannot be transferred to the Catholic diocese," told Interfax . Sergei Kozhenkov, head of the governor's department for public relations and national relations,

The building has been renovated, an expensive organ has been installed, and concerts are regularly held. "When the Catholics were building a new Catholic church in Irkutsk, the position of the authorities on the fate of the Polish church was unequivocal - the organ hall would remain in the building," the official recalled.

Sources

• Irkutsk authorities are against the transfer of the ensemble of the Polish church to the Catholic diocese // Interfax-religion. 2007. April 3.