Ukrainian Catholic ChurchAustralia, New Zealand and Oceania
Easter Pastoral Letter of His Eminence Mykola Cardinal Bychok
March 25, 2026
As we approach the radiant feast of Holy Pascha, the words of our Lord resound with a clarity and urgency that speak directly into our present moment: “My peace I leave you; my peace I give you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.” These words were spoken in the Upper Room on the eve of Christ’s Passion. They form part of His Farewell Discourse, a testament of love given to His disciples before He walked freely into suffering, betrayal, and death.
EASTER PASTORAL LETTER
OF HIS EMINENCE MYKOLA
CARDINAL BYCHOK
“My peace I leave you; my peace I give you”
(John 14:27)
Christ is Risen!
Beloved in Christ,
As we approach the radiant feast of Holy Pascha, the words of our Lord resound with a clarity and urgency that speak directly into our present moment: “My peace I leave you; my peace I give you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.” These words were spoken in the Upper Room on the eve of Christ’s Passion. They form part of His Farewell Discourse, a testament of love given to His disciples before He walked freely into suffering, betrayal, and death. Christ does not promise an escape from the world’s turmoil. Instead, He offers a peace that the world cannot manufacture, negotiate, or impose—a peace rooted in communion with God, born of the Cross, and revealed in the Resurrection.
During Passion Week, we contemplate the stark contrast between the world’s violence and Christ’s peace. The world responded to Him with hatred, false accusations, and crucifixion, yet Christ responded with forgiveness, mercy, and self-giving love. Saint John Chrysostom in his homilies reminds us, where Christ is, there is peace; and where peace is, there is Christ. This peace is not sentimentality but the fruit of divine strength. It is the peace that allowed Christ to stand silent before Pilate, to forgive His executioners, and to descend into death without fear.
On Pascha morning, the Risen Lord enters the locked room where the disciples hide in fear and speaks the same word: “Peace be with you.” This is not a greeting but a gift—a gift sealed by the victory over death, a gift that transforms frightened disciples into courageous apostles. The Resurrection is not only the triumph of Christ; it is the beginning of our transformation. We cannot proclaim the Resurrection if our hearts remain locked in fear, anger, or despair.
This year, these words of Christ echo painfully across the world. We witness wars, humanitarian crises, and the erosion of human dignity in many lands. But for us, the suffering of Ukraine remains especially close to our hearts. Our people continue to endure bombardment, displacement, and grief. Families are separated. Cities lie in ruins. The innocent suffer while the powerful pursue violence. In such a time, the promise of Christ’s peace is not abstract. It is necessary, it is urgent, and it is the only peace that can heal the wounds of nations and the wounds of the human heart. Saint Pope John Paul II reminds us that “peace is not merely the absence of war. It is the work of justice and the effect of charity.” We pray for peace in Ukraine, but we also labour for it—through truth, solidarity, compassion, and unwavering hope.
Yet before peace can take root in the world, it must first take root in us. Christ’s peace is not imposed from outside; it is received through repentance, prayer, and reconciliation with God. Passion Week invites us to examine our own hearts and to ask whether we carry resentment or an unwillingness to forgive, whether we nourish anger more than prayer, whether we seek God’s will or only our own, and whether we allow Christ to calm the storms within us. Saint Augustine teaches, “Our hearts are restless until they rest in You, O Lord.” A heart at peace with God becomes a vessel of peace for others. A family at peace becomes a witness to the Gospel. A parish at peace becomes a beacon of hope. A nation at peace with God becomes strong, resilient, and free.
The Resurrection is not only a historical event; it is a mission. Christ sends us forth as ambassadors of His peace—to comfort the suffering, to defend the vulnerable, to speak truth with courage, to build bridges where others build walls, and to pray unceasingly for Ukraine and for all who endure violence. The world needs Christians who radiate the peace of the Risen Lord, not a passive peace but a Paschal peace—the peace that flows from the empty tomb.
Beloved brothers and sisters, as we celebrate the victory of Christ over death, may His peace reign in your hearts, your homes, and our beloved Ukraine. May the Mother of God, the Queen of Peace, intercede for us. May the Risen Christ strengthen our soldiers, comfort our wounded, and bring home our captives. May He grant wisdom to leaders, courage to the faithful, and hope to all who suffer. And may His words accompany you throughout this holy season: “My peace I leave you; my peace I give you.”
Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!
The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
† MYKOLA
CARDINAL BYCHOK, CSsR
Eparch of Melbourne
Given in Melbourne,
at our Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul,
on the 25th day of March, in the Year of Our Lord 2026,
the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos
