“Ukraine today gives the world hope for freedom”: Head of the UGCC takes part in the opening of the Ukrainian School of Management (USM)
On April 10, 2025, the grand opening of the Ukrainian School of Management—a conceptual space for managers in business, the public and civil sectors, and the defense forces—took place in Kyiv. The event was attended by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
The Ukrainian School of Management aims to become a place for the development of responsible managerial thinking, grounded in values and strategic vision. The school was founded by CEO Olena Yuzkova and Artur Mikhno, co-founder of the work.ua platform.
Among the guests at the event were His Beatitude Sviatoslav; the third President of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko; Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Hero of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny (via video link); Ukrainian entrepreneur Ruslan Shostak; and Ukrainian film director Iryna Tsilyk. Accompanying the Head of the UGCC was Fr. Lubomyr Yavorsky, Patriarchal Economist of the UGCC.
Part of the program of the School’s opening ceremony featured a roundtable discussion to immerse the guests in the search for answers to the question “Why does the world need Ukraine?”
In his address, the Head of the UGCC reflected on what Ukraine can offer the world: “Today, Ukraine—we, Ukrainians—can and must give the world hope for freedom. Hope that freedom is not a mirage. Freedom is not free. Freedom is something worth giving even your life for.”
He noted that in a world where much of the population lives under the yoke of totalitarianism, Ukraine remains a country that goes “against the current,” preserving the voice of a free individual.
“We as a nation are riveting, bright… perhaps we are seen as equals today because we are free people. And we speak as free people,” said the Primate.
Delving deeper, the Head of the Church addressed the meaning of “freedom” through the lenses of theology and philosophy: “The ability to choose between good and evil, death and life, is not yet freedom. It is merely potential—the capacity to become free. Freedom arises when we make the right choice. The formula of true freedom is this: the ability to choose, combined with choosing rightly, equals freedom.”
He also recalled the experience of the Orange Revolution, when Ukrainians defended their choice, and cited the testimony of underground priests and prisoners of war who preserved their dignity and inner freedom under the harshest conditions: “Even with our hands tied and our eyes blindfolded, we felt a higher level of freedom than our executioners. Because Ukrainians are free people.”
In conclusion, His Beatitude Sviatoslav urged the audience to revisit the true meaning of the word “freedom,” which—like “peace” or “love”—is often de-sacralized in the modern world.
“For Ukrainians are free people. And so today, we must give the world hope that it is both possible and necessary to be a free person. Evidently, this is something that must also be protected,” summarized the Father and Head of the UGCC.
The UGCC Department for Information
