PRESS CONFERENCE 14 October 2024
Sts Peter and Pauls Cathedral North Melbourne
Thank you for being here today. I am Bishop Mykola Bychok - Bishop of the Eparchy of Sts Peter and Paul of Melbourne for Ukrainian Catholics in Australia, New Zealand and Oceania; I am a member of the Redemptorist Congregation and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church - and now also, Cardinal-designate for the universal Catholic Church.
It has been a very big week!
You may not know, but this honour from His Holiness, Pope Francis, came as a complete surprise.
People ask, ‘do you remember when you heard the news …?’ It is something I will never forget.
I was interstate at the time, on a pastoral visit in Brisbane and had my phone turned off during dinner. When I turned my phone back on, a flood of messages came through. To be honest, at first, I thought that was a joke. It has taken some time for it all to begin sinking in.
I am yet to know the particulars of this appointment. I obediently and willingly accept this great privilege of being a voice to the experiences and challenges of so many in need – most particularly the Ukrainian people, and the faithful of Australia.
A Cardinal in the Catholic Church is an honorary appointment at service to the Holy Father, the Pope. It is an advisory role that requires me to be attentive to the needs of the Church in the world today.
I believe my appointment as Cardinal is, as the Holy Father said this week – an expression of the universality of the Church, ‘which continues to proclaim God’s merciful love to all people on Earth.’
This appointment is not one that supersedes who I am now. I remain first and foremost, the Eparch for Ukrainian Catholics in Australia, New Zealand and Oceania, and a bishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church united with His Beatitude Patriarch Sviatoslav, our Father and Head and my brother bishops in the Synod of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
I continue my deep collaboration with my brother bishops in Australia, both Latin and Eastern traditions. We are blessed to be a living in this country free of war and conflict which has become a place of peace and hope for many refugees and migrants.
I acknowledge with gratitude the countless messages of encouragement. Thank you for this continued support, not just for myself but for the peoples of Ukraine.
Today, I have brought something very precious to me.
This flag is a relic of bravery – and bears the blood and marks of my fellow Ukrainians tortured in defending their homeland.
It is a symbol of hope for all who suffer persecution, loss, displacement and the pains of war.
It is also a stark reminder that the marginalised can never be forgotten.
Here today under the patronage of Sts Peter and Paul – the great witnesses and martyrs of the Church, I ask for your prayers as I embark on this new journey. But importantly, I ask for your prayers for those who are most in need
BACKGROUND ON MEMORIAL UKRAINIAN FLAG
In 2014 the war in Ukraine began with the invasion and occupation of Crimea and Donetsk.
Several Ukrainian soldiers based in Donetsk began to defend their homeland in what quickly became “behind enemy lines”.
This very flag was carried by them into battle and remained with them at all times. It was carried in battles in 2014 in Karlivka, Maryanka, and in 2015 into Avdijivka, Pisky, Krasnohorivka and Donetsk.
Eventually these brave soldiers were captured as POW’s by Russian forces. The flag was with them. The soldiers were beaten and tortured sometimes with the flag tightly wrapped around their heads. The flag carries the imprint of boots and blood.
In a rather miraculous way, this flag was passed on to a volunteer who in turn gifted this precious memorial to Bishop Mykola as a relic of the heroism of Ukrainian service men and women who defended their homeland against Russian aggression.
This flag is a symbol of the huge price that Ukraine has and continue to pay for her freedom. It is a memorial for those who have died and a reminder not to forget those who have disappeared without trace, the imprisoned, kidnaped, displaced and suffering.
For Bishop Mykola this is an emotional relic of the bravery of the whole Ukrainian Nation.
Media Enquiries to: Annie Carrett: 0439 600 233 | annie.carrett@cam.org.au
