Pope Francis grants privilege to Ukraine's Greek Catholic Church: Bychok on being proclaimed cardinal in Rome

Information was published on the website of the Ukrainian Catholic Church of Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania.

"This appointment is a great privilege. This is not a privilege granted to me personally, but a privilege granted by Pope Francis to the entire Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the Catholic Church in Australia," said the clergyman.

He also said that he would try to follow the worthy example of his predecessors, the cardinals.

"Patriarch Josyf Cardinal Slipyj, who, after his release after 18 years in a Soviet gulag and moving to Rome, became the voice of our Church in the free world and, using various forums, emphasised the persecution of the Churches in the USSR and called for more radical actions to protect the rights of believers. Myroslav Cardinal Lubachivsky, who returned to lead the Church in Ukraine, despite his advanced years and physical frailty, set in place the structures and institutions that helped our church to transition from persecution to freedom. His Beatitude Lubomyr Cardinal Husar, thanks to whom the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, after emerging from the catacombs and re-establishing in Western Ukraine, returned the seat of the Archbishop Major from Lviv to Kyiv. Under his leadership, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church began to establish Central, Eastern, and Southern Ukraine," said Bishop Mykola Bychok.

He added that he understands what a great responsibility it is.

"I understand how much responsibility this appointment entrusts to me. “Responsibility for the life and future of our entire church. Knowing the difficult times that our Ukrainian people are going through because of the war, I will continue to inform the Catholic world about what is happening in our land and constantly remind them of Ukraine," the bishop added.

Bishop Mykola called for prayers for him to have the strength to fulfill the vocation entrusted to him with dignity.

Background

In the history of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church there were 5 bishops who were proclaimed cardinals: Metropolitan Mykhailo Levytskyi (1774-1858), Metropolitan Sylvester Sembratovych (1836-1898), Patriarch Josyf Slipyj (1892-1984), Patriarch Myroslav-Ivan Lubachivsky (1914-2000), and Patriarch Lubomyr Husar (1933-2017).

There have been 7 cardinals in the history of the Catholic Church in Australia, the last of whom, Cardinal George Pell, passed away in January 2023. Thus, Bishop Mykola Bychok will become the sixth cardinal in the history of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the 8th cardinal in the history of the Catholic Church in Australia.

He will be the only cardinal for both the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the Catholic Church in Australia. Since the Melbourne Eparchy of the UGCC covers not only Australia but also New Zealand and Oceania, Bishop Mykola will be one of the cardinals of Oceania, along with the cardinals in Wellington, Tonga, Port Moresby and Dili.

• Pope Francis has proclaimed Bishop Mykola Bychko, the ruling bishop of the Melbourne Eparchy for Ukrainian Catholics in Australia, a cardinal of the Catholic Church. On December 8, 2024, he will hold a Consistory to appoint new cardinals.