# Bishop Mykola Bychok — Cardinal of the Catholic Churc

- Link: https://nweparchy.ca/2024/12/bishop-mykola-bychok-cardinal-of-the-catholic-churc/
- Published: 2024-12-08T16:23:07-08:00
- Author: Website

On Saturday, December 7, 2024, at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, His Grace
Bishop Mykola Bychok, Eparch of the Eparchy of Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne
for Ukrainian Catholics in Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania, was elevated to 
the dignity of Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church by His Holiness Pope Francis.

The ceremony took place in St. Peter’s Basilica and began with a short prayer and
a reading from the Gospel of Mark. In this passage, James and John, the sons of 
Zebedee, ask Jesus to allow them to sit at His right and left in His glory. Then
Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that those who are supposed to rule
over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over
them. But it shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must
be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For 
the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as 
a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:42–45).

![](https://ugcc.ua/pub/images/de5617a67120aed1.jpeg)

Following the Gospel reading, Pope Francis delivered a homily, emphasising that 
the cardinal’s ministry must have Jesus Christ and His teachings as its centre, 
foundation, and primary focus.

After the homily, the formal ceremony of creating the new cardinals began. Pope 
Francis declared: “Dear brothers and sisters, we are about to carry out an agreeable
and solemn task of our sacred ministry. 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.” He then read the names of the newly
proclaimed cardinals.

![](https://ugcc.ua/pub/images/bebad48c8b6404c1.jpeg)

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.
They also promised to remain obedient to the Holy Apostolic Roman Church and the
Holy Father and to join the ranks of the Roman clergy, working closely with Pope
Francis and his canonical successors.

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. Additionally,
each cardinal was assigned with the title/deaconry of titular church in honour of
Almighty God and Saints Peter and Paul. Bishop Mykola received the title of Basilica
of Santa Sofia, which will now be his cardinal seat in Rome.

![](https://ugcc.ua/pub/images/2bf6146d493f3d11.jpeg)

It is worth noting that, as Bishop Mykola belongs to the Eastern Catholic Church,
his vestments differed somewhat from the traditional attire of the other 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 in accordance with
Ukrainian monastic tradition, styled after the 17^(th)-century Brest Union and trimmed
with a thin red border.

![](https://ugcc.ua/pub/images/893027edfb6e6fb0.jpeg)

On this day, in addition to Bishop Mykola Bychok, 20 new cardinals were created.

As part of the Consistory for the Proclamation of New Cardinals, there is a tradition
known as a “courtesy visit” to the new cardinals. Immediately after the Consistory,
clergy and faithful from around the world who had come to Rome to share in this 
joyous event with Bishop Mykola had the opportunity to meet the newly proclaimed
cardinal in the Hall of Blessing (Aula della Benedizione), located at the entrance
to St. Peter’s Basilica.https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?

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