Pope Francis has elevated Bishop Mykola Bychok, Eparch of the Eparchy of Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne for Ukrainian Catholics in Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania, to the dignity of Cardinal at the consistory on Saturday.
On Saturday, December 7, at St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, Cardinal Mykola was elevated along with 20 other cardinals.
The new cardinals recited the Profession of faith and took an oath of fidelity, pledging to remain faithful to Christ and His Gospel for the rest of their lives.
During the ceremony, each cardinal received a scarlet biretta, symbolising the dignity of the cardinalate and their readiness to defend the Christian faith with courage, even to the point of martyrdom. They also received a cardinal’s ring, signifying their love for the Church, which is strengthened by the love of the Prince of the Apostles.
Each cardinal is also assigned the title of a titular church. Bishop Mykola received the title of Basilica of Santa Sofia, the mother church of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, which will now be his cardinal seat in Rome.
Cardinal Mykola’s vestments also differed to his fellow cardinals. He wore a purple robe in the old Kyivan tradition, adorned with embroidered images of Saints Peter and Paul. On his head, he wore a black koukoul, a traditional headdress worn by monks, in accordance with Ukrainian monastic tradition, styled after the 17th-century Brest Union and trimmed with a thin red border.
During his homily as part of the ceremony, Pope Francis called on each cardinal to be a “fearless witness to Christ”.
“Dear brothers and sisters, we are about to carry out an agreeable and solemn task of our sacred ministry,” the Holy Father said.
“It chiefly concerns the Church of Rome, but it also affects the entire ecclesial community: we will call certain of our brethren to enter the College of Cardinals, so that they may be united to the Chair of Peter by a closer bond our apostolic ministry.
“Having been invested with the sacred purple, they are to be fearless witnesses to Christ and his Gospel in the City of Rome and in faraway regions. Therefore, by the authority of almighty God, of Saints Peter and Paul and our Own, we create and solemnly proclaim Cardinals of Holy Roman Church these brothers of ours.”
Australian Catholic Bishops Conference vice-president Bishop Greg Bennet, Archbishop of Melbourne Peter Comensoli and Conference general secretary Fr Chris De Souza travelled to Rome to support Cardinal Mykola.