At just 44, Ukraine-born Melbourne bishop Mikola Bychok has ascended to one of the most powerful positions in the Catholic church, where he will have a say in who becomes the next pope.
Pope Francis named him as one of 21 new cardinals, making him the only Australian resident who will don the signature red vestments, and the youngest cardinal overall.
The new cardinals will assemble in a meeting known as a consistory on 8 December.
The current Bishop of the Eparchy of Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne, a diocese of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic church, Bychok will be part of the College of Cardinals, who gather in a conclave to vote for a new pope – usually when the existing one dies (with the notable exception of Pope Benedict XVI, who quit).
That vote takes place in the Sistine Chapel, where the famous white smoke flows from the chimney when their decision is made, followed by the ringing of the bells of St Peter’s.
The 21 new cardinals will enlarge the council to 256 cardinals, 142 of them electors. Only those under 80 can vote.
Some believe Pope Francis has loaded the college with cardinals who are in line with his liberal focus. The late Cardinal George Pell, who was imprisoned before being eventually acquitted of sexual abuse allegations, was one of those critical of Francis for his “politically correct” views. The pontificate “is a disaster in many or most respects; a catastrophe”, Pell wrote in a memo. He also wrote that the College of Cardinals had been “weakened by eccentric nominations”.
Bychok is a Redemptorist, belonging to a group of Catholic priests and brothers who live in the community to preach the gospel, “especially among people on the margins of society and church”.
According to the Oceania branch’s website, Redemptorists “have long been involved with work for justice and peace, refugees and displaced people, prisoners and the poor”.
“As Pope Francis keeps warning us, today we face the added threats to our climate and environment from global warming, with disastrous consequences for people everywhere,” it says.
Bychok was born in 1980 in Ternopil, in western Ukraine. He spent time as an altar boy and on missions and retreats before entering the monastery in 1997.
His studies included writing a master’s thesis on working with youth groups in Greek Catholic parishes in Ukraine while he was at the Redemptorist seminary in Poland. He also served as a missionary in Siberia (Russia) before taking up the Australian bishop role in 2020.
Bychok is a passionate advocate for the Ukrainian people in their continued fight against Russia. His appointment has been seen as a gesture of support for the beleaguered nation, although earlier this year Pope Francis said Ukraine should have the courage to surrender.
In 2022, Bychok called Russian president Vladimir Putin a “modern Herod”, equating him with King Herod of Judea who, according to the Bible, tried to find and kill Jesus, the “King of the Jews”.
Bychok has also told the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference of Russian atrocities and appealed to them to support the people of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Catholic church in Australia, New Zealand and Oceania congratulated Mykola and urged followers to remember him in their prayers, and to “ask God for strength, wisdom and grace for his continued service to the Catholic church”.
The Ukrainian ambassador to the Holy See, Andrii Yurash, called it “incredible news” that “Ukraine received a cardinal”.
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference president, Perth archbishop Timothy Costelloe, congratulated Bychok, saying he had “won the affection and admiration not only of his own people but also of the bishops of Australia”.
“As we congratulate him on this new appointment we are reminded again of the terrible suffering of the people of Ukraine,” he said.
“This appointment will bring great joy to Ukrainian Catholics here in Australia and indeed throughout the world. We unite with them in praying for an end to the war in their homeland and for the establishment of a just peace.”
