His Eminence Mykola Cardinal Bychok Assumes His Titular Seat in Rome
On June 22, His Eminence Mykola Cardinal Bychok, Eparch of Melbourne, celebrated the Archiepiscopal Divine Liturgy at the Procathedral of St. Sophia in Rome. Before the Liturgy, an official ceremony was held to mark his acceptance of his titular church, granted to him by Pope Francis when he was inducted into the College of Cardinals on December 7, 2024.
This was reported by Vatican News.
The event brought together hierarchs of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, members of the Australian Bishops’ Conference, clergy, monastics, lay faithful, and representatives of the diplomatic corps. At the entrance to the church, Cardinal Bychok was greeted by the cathedral’s rector, Fr. Marko Semehen, along with young people in traditional embroidered shirts bearing bread and salt.
Before the iconostasis, Papal Protonotary Monsignor William Millea read Pope Francis’ bull conferring the cardinalate upon Bishop Mykola. Fr. Marko followed with a welcome address.
Monsignor Millea then drafted and presented to the faithful a notarial act confirming the acceptance of the titular church. Following tradition, bishops, priests, religious, and laypeople present were invited to sign the document. The Divine Liturgy followed, during which Bishop Mykola ordained a deacon for his eparchy.
“Accepting this title means embracing a deep bond with generations of faithful who gathered here—especially those who bore the cross of exile, persecution, and dispersion. Saint Sophia is more than a building; it is a living testimony to the resilience and hope of the Ukrainian people.”
“Together, we are called to proclaim the Risen Christ with our lives,” he continued.
Recalling the words of Pope Leo XIV at the start of his pontificate, the cardinal added: “The Church must be a sanctuary of hope, a voice of peace, and a light no darkness can extinguish. These words call us to be courageous in faith and gentle in love, to walk alongside those who suffer, and to radiate Christ’s presence in every corner of the world.”
Each cardinal, as a sign of special closeness to the Bishop of Rome, is assigned a titular church in the Diocese of Rome or in one of its ancient suburban sees. Depending on their rank, cardinals are divided into: Cardinal bishops — those who hold suburban titles or are patriarchs of Eastern Catholic Churches; Cardinal presbyters — heads of dioceses around the world with titular Roman churches; Cardinal deacons — primarily members of the Roman Curia with ancient Roman deaconries as their titles.
The title “Santa Sofia a Via Boccea”, associated with the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Cathedral of Saint Sofia, was established in 1985 by Pope John Paul II. It was first assigned to the then Head of the UGCC, Blessed Myroslav Ivan Lubachivsky, and later to his successor, Blessed Lubomyr Husar, in 2001. Bishop Mykola Bychok is the seventh cardinal in the history of the Ukrainian Church, and the third to hold this particular title.
Notably, Blessed Josyf Slipyj held the title of St. Athanasius, linked to the Pontifical Greek College, where the Byzantine Rite is celebrated. The first cardinal in Ukrainian Church history, Metropolitan Isidore of Kyiv, was later elevated to the rank of cardinal bishop with the suburban title of Sabina.
The UGCC Department for InformationPhoto credit: Vatican News
