The Pope will proclaim a bishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church as a cardinal.

Bishop Mykola Bychok, who is the Archier of the Melbourne Diocese of Saints Peter and Paul (Australia), will be proclaimed a cardinal of the Catholic Church on December 8. This decision was made by Pope Francis on October 6. This was reported by the press service of the Ukrainian Catholic Church.

«For me, as well as for many others, this news was a great surprise. I definitely feel excitement because this appointment is a great privilege. This is not a privilege given to me personally, but a privilege given by Pope Francis to the entire Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the Catholic Church in Australia. I will try to follow the worthy example of my predecessors-cardinals», – reacted the Bishop to his appointment.

The press service notes that this is a significant event for the entire Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. After all, in the history of the UGCC, there were five bishops proclaimed as cardinals: Metropolitan Mykhailo Levytskyi (1774–1858), Metropolitan Sylvester Sembratovych (1836–1898), Patriarch Josyf Slipyj (1892–1984), Patriarch Myroslav-Ivan Lubachivsky (1914–2000), Patriarch Lubomyr Husar (1933–2017).

Also, as noted, in the history of the Catholic Church in Australia, there were seven cardinals. Thus, Bishop Mykola Bychok will become the sixth cardinal in the history of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the eighth cardinal in the history of the Catholic Church in Australia.

«For both the UGCC and the Catholic Church in Australia, he will be the only cardinal. Since the Melbourne Diocese 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 cardinals in Wellington, Tonga, Port Moresby, and Dili», – notes the press service.

What is known about Bishop Mykola Bychok?

Bishop Mykola Bychok was born on February 13, 1980, in Ternopil. In July 1997, he joined the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, obtaining a licentiate in pastoral theology. This is reported by the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

He took his perpetual vows on August 17, 2003, and received priestly ordination on May 3, 2005. As a priest, he carried out various pastoral ministries, served as the rector of the Monastery of the Redemptorist Fathers and the parish in Ivano-Frankivsk, and was a provincial economist. From 2015, he served at the parish of St. John the Baptist in Newark, USA, in the Philadelphia Archdiocese of the UGCC.

On January 15, 2020, it was announced in the Vatican that Pope Francis appointed him the new Eparch of the Eparchy of Saints Peter and Paul in Melbourne of the UGCC in Australia. The episcopal consecration took place on June 7, 2020, in the Archcathedral of St. George in Lviv. It is worth noting that Bishop Mykola Bychok, who is 44 years old, will become the youngest cardinal.

Let's recall that earlier, Pope Francis, in the context of the war in Ukraine and hostilities between Israel and Hamas, called for a ceasefire and noted that «peace achieved through negotiations is always better than an endless war».

By the way, Pope Francis calls for a ceasefire and the resumption of negotiations, not the capitulation of Ukraine. This explains his words about the white flag, Director of the Vatican Press Service Matteo Bruni.

On June 14, the Pope held bilateral talks with world leaders at the summit of the «Group of Seven» (G7) countries in Italy. In particular, he met with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.