Bishop Mykola Cardinal Bychok presided over the Divine Liturgy in Rijeka, Croatia
On Sunday, July 13, Bishop Mykola Cardinal Bychok, Eparch of Melbourne, presided over the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Rijeka, Croatia. The Liturgy was attended by numerous faithful of Ukrainian origin who permanently reside in the region, as well as those who moved to Croatia after the start of the full-scale war.
Concelebrating with Bishop Mykola were Bishop Petro Loza, Eparch of Sokal-Zhovkva; Bishop Michael Koltun, Bishop Emeritus of the Sokal-Zhovkva Eparchy; and Bishop Milan Stipić, Eparch of Križevci, who extended an invitation to his brother bishops to visit Rijeka following the conclusion of the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Rome.
In his homily, Bishop Mykola drew attention to the spiritual dimension of the Gospel story about the expulsion of evil spirits, emphasising the importance of prayer and fasting as means of fighting evil. The bishop also invited the faithful to pray especially for all families who have suffered the wounds of war, both in Ukraine and in other parts of the world: “Let us pray today especially for all families in Croatia and all Ukrainian families wounded by war,” said the bishop.
He also expressed his gratitude to the Archdiocese of Rijeka, the parish priest Fr. Sanjin Francetić, and all those present for their warm welcome and joint prayer.
During the visit, the bishops also visited the St. Vitus Integration Centre, operated by Caritas of the Diocese of Rijeka, which provides support to vulnerable categories of the population, including Ukrainian refugees.
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