Cardinal Bychok: Ukraine is not alone, Church and Pope are with us

By Viktoria Havaleshko and Isabella H. de Carvalho

As the conflict in Ukraine continues, Ukrainian-born Cardinal Mykola Bychok brought the suffering of the country’s people to Pope Leo XIV on June 24, as he gifted him a flag and cross belonging to a soldier who fought in the war.

Cardinal Bychok is Bishop of the Eparchy of Saints Peter and Paul of Melbourne, Australia, and is currently in Rome for the Extraordinary Consistory, held in the Vatican on June 26-29. He gave the Pope the items at the end of the Wednesday General Audience. 

In an interview with Vatican News, Cardinal Bychok spoke about the significance of this gift, his hopes for the Consistory, and how the Ukrainian Church can contribute to discussions on peace.

Cardinal Bychok speaks to Vatican News

The following transcript has been edited for reasons of style and clarity.

Q: Your Eminence, at the end of Wednesday’s General Audience, you had the opportunity to greet Pope Leo XIV and present him a gift. Could you speak about this moment and the significance of this gift?

This was a great opportunity for me. First of all, to pray with the Pope and to reflect on the Word of God during the Audience. Then at the end of the prayer, I was able to approach the Holy Father and present to him a cross and Ukrainian flag which belonged to a Ukrainian soldier who is a veteran now. He spent three years in the war.

He actually asked me through another veteran to pass this present to the Holy Father. I had given these items to a Ukrainian priest in February and when I landed in Rome from Melbourne this priest told me he still had the flag and the cross.

It was a great sign of God because I was planning to participate in the Pope’s General Audience. I then approached the Holy Father and gave him greetings from Australia and Ukraine.

I expressed words of gratitude for the support to Ukraine in this time of war, as well as to the Ukrainian people who are wounded and deeply traumatized, especially those who spent a few years on the front line, such as our soldiers, veterans, missing in action, and those who are in captivity.

When I gave this present to the Holy Father, I stressed and pointed out that this flag and cross are a huge sign for Ukraine. I also expressed this request from the Ukrainian soldiers to continue to proclaim the truth about the war in Ukraine, to be this beacon of hope and truth.

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So, I passed all these words from this veteran to the Holy Father. It was really great for me that I became the instrument to pass on these words and items.

It was a sign of hope for Ukraine, that we are not alone, we are with God and as well the whole Catholic Church, and the leader of the Church, Pope Leo XIV, is with us as well.

Q: On June 26, 27 and 29 Pope Leo XIV is gathering with Cardinals from all over the world for the Consistory. Among the topics expected to be discussed are the ongoing wars, divisions, and conflicts around the world, as well as the way in which the Church can support peacebuilding. As a representative of the Ukrainian Church, what are your expectations for this Consistory?

It is a great occasion to have a Consistory. This is the second meeting, as the last one took place in January.

A main theme of the Consistory is Pope Leo’s encyclical Magnifica humanitas, and there are also four main topics for discussions. Some of them are about war and peace.

It’s a great opportunity not only for me, as a Ukrainian-born Cardinal, but also for other Cardinals to share their words, their hopes.

We Ukrainians tried to raise this topic a few times the last few years, and here we are, we will now discuss this at the highest level of the Catholic Church, which is really good.

I have hope for this Consistory, and then we will see the fruits of the discussions with all the Cardinals and with Pope Leo XIV.

Q: In your opinion, what contribution can the Ukrainian Church make to these discussions on peace?

We should be open for discussions. We as a country have a border which we cannot pass, because this is our land. Thousands and thousands of our soldiers, women, have given up their life for the future of our country, of our families, our children.

For this reason, we should be open to discussions. However, war brings many traumas, wounds, and losses. Right now, we can see the result of the war. Many people, especially those who spent some time at the front line – not only soldiers, but also civilians – for them it’s difficult to live in a quiet situation, so these are the wounds and traumas of war.

We have passed some challenges, but I think many still stand before us. Even when the war will stop, fresh wounds will open.

However, as I said, we are not alone. God is with us, and the Catholic Church as well. That’s the main reason that actually, since the full-scale invasion, our hands are full.

The Catholic Church around the globe – in Europe, in the USA, in Australia – has found resources to help our people, to bring to them simple things such as water, bread, or other things which are very necessary daily.

We also found some specialists from other countries who passed through war, so we’re trying to find good examples which we can bring to our country, which will be really helpful.

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We can share some of our own examples, as the Church. Since the beginning of the war many people were displaced internally in the country, from the eastern part of Ukraine generally, to the western or center part.

Millions of people were also displaced around the globe. No one stayed in tents. If you remember other wars, the majority of the people stayed in tents.

That is a really good example that when we are together, we can do many good things. We have examples of how to live in the time of the war, how to overcome the trauma of the war, what the Church can do during the war, and especially after the end of it.

It will be a huge benefit, not only for Ukraine, but for the whole civilized world.