On June 22, 2025, the second Sunday after Pentecost, the date on which the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church celebrates the feast of All Saints of Ukraine, Cardinal Mykola Bychok, CSsR, took possession of the Basilica of Hagia Sophia, better known as the “Church of the Ukrainians,” in Rome.
Mykola Bychok, CSsR of the Lviv Province of the Redemptorists, aged 45, bishop of the Eparchy of Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne for Ukrainian Catholics in Australia, New Zealand and Oceania, is one of the cardinals created by Pope Francis at his last Consistory in December 2024 and became the youngest of the cardinals.
With a solemn liturgy and in the presence of numerous Catholic faithful, the Church of Hagia Sophia listened to the words and testimony of the Redemptorist missionary, now a cardinal of the Catholic Church: “Taking possession of this church,” the young cardinal observed, “means, therefore, forging a profound bond with the generations of faithful who have gathered here, especially those who have carried the cross of exile, persecution, and displacement. Hagia Sophia is more than a building. It is a living testimony to the resilience and hope of the Ukrainian people.”
Cardinal Bychok said he felt invested with a “renewed mission”: “To be a bridge between East and West, past and future, heaven and earth.” “I do this not alone, but with all of you,” he told to the faithful present inside and in the atrium of Hagia Sophia.
In fact, this church now symbolizes the spiritual heart of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic community in Rome and has become, since the outbreak of the war, a hub for collecting aid and expressing solidarity among Romans with their brothers and sisters who are victims of Russian aggression.
In addition to the Ukrainian community in Rome, Redemptorist brothers were present, including Brother Larry Lujan, General Consultor, and Father Dmytro of the community of St. Alphonsus in Rome.
Scala News
The title of Saint Sophia
The cardinal title of Saint Sophia, on Boccea Street, linked to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Basilica of Saint Sophia, was created in 1985 by Pope John Paul II, who bestowed it on the then leader and father of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Myroslav Ivan Lubachivsky. The same title was awarded in 2001 to his successor, His Beatitude Liubomyr Husar, who died in 2017. Cardinal Mykola Bychok, the seventh cardinal in the history of the Ukrainian Church, became the third cardinal with the title of this basilica. It is noteworthy that His Beatitude Josyf Slipykh held the title of the Church of Saint Athanasius, where religious services are held according to the Byzantine rite. The first cardinal in the history of the Ukrainian Church, Metropolitan Isidore of Kyiv, held the rank of cardinal-bishop with the title of suburban diocese of Sabina. (From Vatican News)
