On April 20, at a fireside chat moderated by Mary Gallagher, Dean of Notre Dame's Keough School of Global Affairs, during the Ukraine Impact Forum: Faith & Resilience — jointly organized by the University of Notre Dame and the Ukrainian Catholic University — Metropolitan Borys Gudziak reflected on universities, the Church, and Ukrainian resilience amid Russia's ongoing war.
Archbishop Gudziak expressed gratitude for the partnership between the universities, emphasizing that it combines academic rigor with personal engagement.
"This partnership is heart-to-heart while it is at the highest level of competence. It's research, but it's also fellowship," he said, noting that such collaboration provides resilience in a time of war.
Reflecting on the role of universities in a time of war, the Archbishop stressed that academic institutions must not retreat into abstraction but respond to human suffering with personal encounter and solidarity.
"When there is a war that is explicitly genocidal… what is very important is for us to do what we do, but do it heart-to-heart," he said.
Metropolitan Borys turned to the deeper purpose of education — the formation of the whole person. "We always tell our students that this school will try to prepare them for professional life," he said. "But I dare to add that I hope it prepares them for death." In Ukraine today, he reminded the audience, those words carry a weight that is anything but metaphorical.
Speaking of global challenges, he described the Catholic Church as a unique global institution capable of offering a broader moral perspective in times of geopolitical uncertainty. He noted that current events may represent "a particular Catholic moment" that is prompting renewed reflection on the Church's role in public life.
When asked about the relationship with the United States, Archbishop Gudziak acknowledged both continued support and a growing awareness among Ukrainians of their own responsibility. "There is a greater sense now that we have to bear this responsibility… Ukraine can help the United States in the defense," he said.
Drawing from his extensive experience since 2014, including more than 50 visits to Ukraine, the Archbishop described both the devastation of war and the strength of Ukrainian society. "In this place of great damage… life is thick. It's like a flower breaking through the cement."
He highlighted the solidarity of Ukrainians, noting that even in extreme circumstances, people continue to support one another. "There is a desperate situation, but people are not desperate. They're helping each other."
Archbishop Gudziak expressed appreciation for the recent statements of Pope Leo XIV calling for a just peace and emphasized what such peace requires. "There is no lasting just peace without security guarantees," he said.
At the end of the conversation, Archbishop Borys offered a clear call to action for those present and for the broader international community. "Three things: pray… be informed and inform others, advocate… and help as you can, everybody according to their talents and according to their means."
