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Cardinal Mykola Bychok took possession of his titular church in Rome
June 23, 2025
On June 22, in Rome, at the Cathedral of Santa Sophia, Bishop Mykola Cardinal Bychok, Eparch of Melbourne, celebrated the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy. Before the Liturgy, an official ceremony was held to receive his titular church, which Pope Francis granted him, inducting him into the College of Cardinals on December 7, 2024.
At the solemn celebration at the Cathedral of Santa Sophia, the following hierarchs of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church (UGCC) were present: Bishop Michael Smolinski, Eparch of Saskatoon; Bishop Bryan Bayda, Eparch of Toronto and Eastern Canada; Bishop Bohdan Dzyurakh, Apostolic Exarch for Ukrainian Catholics in Germany and the Scandinavian countries; Bishop Petro Loza, Eparch of Sokal-Zhovkva; Bishop Mykhailo Bubniy, Exarch of Odesa and Administrator of the Crimean Exarchate; Bishop Dionisio Lachovicz, Bishop Emeritus of the Apostolic Exarchate in Italy. Among the guests were also Catholic bishops from Australia: Archbishop Timothy Costelloe, Archbishop of Perth and President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference; Archbishop Peter Comensoli, Archbishop of Melbourne; Bishop George Kolodziej, Bishop of the Diocese of Bunbury; Bishop Karol Kulczycki, Bishop of the Diocese of Port Pirie; and Bishop Antoine Charbel Tarabay, Bishop of the Maronite Catholic Church in Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania. Also attending the celebration were members of the diplomatic corps, the Grand Master of the Sovereign Order of Malta, John Dunlap, clergy, religious, and lay faithful.
As reported by Vatican News, the cardinal was welcomed at the entrance of the church by the rector of the cathedral, Fr. Marko Semegen, and young people in traditional embroidered shirts (vyshyvanky), bearing bread and salt. In front of the iconostasis, the Papal Protonotary, Monsignor William Millea, read the papal bull of Pope Francis, granting the title to Cardinal Mykola. Fr. Marko then addressed the gathering with a word of welcome.
Monsignor Millea drew up and presented to the community the notarial act confirming the acceptance of the titular church, after which some of the attending bishops, priests, religious, and laypeople signed the document.
In his homily, Bishop Mykola Cardinal Bychok remarked that in taking possession of this historic titular church, he not only receives a title but also spiritually unites himself with generations of faithful who gathered here, especially those who bore the cross of exile, persecution, and forced displacement. He also emphasised that although he accepts the Cathedral of Saint Sophia as his titular church, the church will continue to serve as the seat of the Patriarch in the Eternal City of Rome.
“As I take possession of this church, I also receive a renewed mission: to be a bridge—between East and West, past and future, and heaven and earth. I do so not alone, but with all of you. Together, we are called to proclaim the Risen Christ with our lives. As Pope Leo XIV reminded us at the beginning of his pontificate: ‘The Church must be a sanctuary of hope, a voice of peace, and a light that no darkness can overcome.’ These words challenge us to be bold in faith and tender in love, to walk with those who suffer, and to radiate Christ’s presence in every corner of the world,” emphasised Bishop Mykola.
Each cardinal, as a sign of special closeness to the Bishop of Rome, is assigned the title of one of the churches of the Diocese of Rome or the ancient suburban dioceses. According to rank, they are divided into Cardinal Bishops, who hold titles of the suburbicarian dioceses and include the Patriarchs of the Eastern Catholic Churches who retain the title of their patriarchal sees; Cardinal Priests, who are usually residential bishops of dioceses around the world and hold titles of Roman churches; and Cardinal Deacons, who are members of the Roman Curia and hold the titles of ancient Roman deaconries.
The cardinalatial title of “Saint Sophia on Via Boccea,” associated with the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Cathedral of Saint Sophia, was established in 1985 by Pope John Paul II, who assigned it to the then Head and Father of the UGCC, His Beatitude Myroslav Ivan Lubachivsky. The same title was received in 2001 by his successor, His Beatitude Lubomyr Husar, who passed away in 2017. Bishop Mykola Bychok, the seventh cardinal in the history of the Ukrainian Church, became the third cardinal to hold the title of this cathedral. It should be noted that His Beatitude Josyf Slipyj held the title of the Church of Saint Athanasius, affiliated with the Pontifical Greek College, where liturgies are celebrated in the Byzantine Rite. The first cardinal in the history of the Ukrainian Church—Metropolitan Isidore of Kyiv—at the end of his life belonged to the rank of Cardinal Bishops with the title of the suburbicarian Diocese of Sabina.
Source: Vatican news
