In Communion and Prayer: Cardinal Bychok Facilitates Annual Spiritual Retreat for Bishops of PNG and Solomon Islands
PORT MORESBY, 25 September 2026 - The Annual Spiritual Retreat of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands CBCPNGSI concluded Friday with a solemn Thanksgiving Mass presided over by His Eminence Sir John Cardinal Ribat, M.S.C., with the homily delivered by Retreat Facilitator His Eminence Mykola Cardinal Bychok, C.Ss.R., and concelebrated by His Excellency Archbishop Maurizio Bravi, Apostolic Nuncio to PNG and Solomon Islands.
Held from 21 to 26 September, the retreat gathered the shepherds of PNG and Solomon Islands for a time of intense spiritual renewal, fraternity and interior silence, set apart from administration to sit in the quiet presence of the Father.
Arrival and Fraternal Encounter
Cardinal Bychok, Eparch of Melbourne, arrived in Port Moresby on 20 September at the invitation of the CBCPNGSI. On 21 September he met with Archbishop Bravi, an encounter reflecting the unity of the Church: "That they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you" (John 17:21).
Anchored in Prayer and Cultural Diversity
The daily program was anchored in Morning Prayer, Holy Mass, Vespers, Eucharistic Adoration, and the Holy Rosary. From 21 to 25 September, Cardinal Bychok delivered conferences on the vocation of a bishop, his personal relationship with God, and the challenges of pastoral ministry today.
The retreat showcased the liturgical and cultural diversity of the local Church, with daily Mass celebrated by the Metropolitan archbishops representing the four regions of PNG at 11:00 AM:
• 22 September - Momase Region, Archbishop Anton Bal
• 23 September - Islands Region, Archbishop Rochus Tatamai MSC
• 24 September - Highlands Region, Archbishop Clement Papa
• 25 September - Southern Region, His Eminence Sir John Cardinal Ribat
On 25 September, Cardinal Bychok joined Cardinal Ribat as homilist for the Mass organized by the Southern Region.
Final Conference: The Bell as Symbol of Hope
Cardinal Bychok devoted his final conference to hope, drawing on his recent visit to Ukraine.
"To give you some idea of the scale of this tragedy, today more than 114,000 people in Ukraine are officially listed as missing. Behind this number there are not simply statistics, but thousands of fathers, mothers, wives and children who continue to live in the hope that their loved ones will return," he said.
In the Odesa region, he was greeted by women each holding a small bell bearing the name of her missing husband, son or father.
He brought one of those bells to PNG - bearing the name of Oleksii Maksymenko, a Ukrainian serviceman from Odesa who volunteered after Russia's full-scale invasion and went missing on 9 December 2023 near Novomykhailivka, Donetsk.
"I would like to leave this bell here in Papua New Guinea and ask you to pray for the peace in Ukraine... May the sound of this bell today become a symbol of hope for all those who need it — not only for Ukrainians, but also for all your faithful who face difficult circumstances," Cardinal Bychok said.
Homily: Who Do You Say That I Am?
Reflecting on Luke 9:18 - "Who do the crowds say that I am?" - Cardinal Bychok noted that as bishops leave this mountain of quiet prayer for the rugged highlands and scattered atolls of their missions, they are immersed in the voices of the crowds. Yet Jesus asks each personally: "But who do you say that I am?"
"As we go forth... we are starkly reminded that to proclaim Christ in our home dioceses today means embracing this Cross alongside our flock... It means standing shoulder to shoulder with our people in remote areas... speaking out with unwavering prophetic courage against violence, domestic abuse, tribal warfare, and systemic corruption," he said.
"The difficulties, misunderstandings, and fatigue we will inevitably encounter... are not signs that our ministry is failing. They are the exact places where the redemptive love of Christ is made visible."
Closing
In closing remarks, Bishop Rozario Menezes, S.M.M. President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of PNGSI, thanked Cardinal Bychok and presented him with a traditional Bird of Paradise carving and PNG-made coffee, and asked the bishops to accompany him in prayer for peace in Ukraine.
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