Bishop Willy Ngumbi Ngengele of Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – a city currently under siege by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels – says the planned beatification of Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi is a source of pride for the people of the country.
He was speaking at a press conference on 9 June ahead of the beatification of the young Congolese customs officer, who was killed in 2007 after refusing to take a bribe.
The ceremony is scheduled for Trinity Sunday, 15 June, at the Papal Basilica of St Paul Outside-the-Walls in Rome.
“It is a source of pride for all the inhabitants of Goma and everyone who knew him,” the bishop said.
“Whether we are Muslim, Catholic Christian, Protestant, or members of revival churches, we should all be proud to have known this young man who has become a model for our society here in Goma and the whole world,” he continued.
The young customs officer resisted corruption by blocking the passage of spoiled foodstuffs that would have been harmful to people’s health.
Addressing thousands of young people at a stadium in Kinshasa on 2 February 2023 during his visit to the DRC, Pope Francis said Floribert “could easily have turned a blind eye – no one would have found out – and he might even have got ahead as a result”.
“But, since he was a Christian, he prayed. He thought of others, and he chose to be honest, saying no to the filth of corruption. That is what it means to keep your hands clean and your heart clean too,” the Pope added.
Gertrude Kamara, Floribert’s mother, is reportedly already in Rome for her son’s beatification. She described him as intelligent and respectful, but said she never imagined he would be recognised as Blessed by the Catholic Church.
“I expected him to be a boy who would marry, have a wife and children. But he died – he was still too young. His death touched me deeply. I asked for help through prayer. It’s prayer that sustains me, and the others who comfort me,” she told Radio Okapi, a UN-sponsored station in the DRC.
Floribert is poised to become the first Blessed associated with the Community of Sant’Egidio, a network of small communities of fraternal life. Born on 13 June 1981, he was just 26 when he was murdered. He is now widely known as the “martyr of corruption” and was deeply involved with the Sant’Egidio community in Goma, a region scarred by decades of conflict.
This context was emphasised by Aline Minani, leader of the Community of Sant’Egidio in Goma, during a testimony in Rome on 7 June.
She spoke of the devastating consequences of the DRC’s long-standing conflict, saying it is “fueled by obscure interests”.
Condemning the war as “horrible”, Minani noted that “human life has no value”, particularly for the elderly, children and women, who pay the highest price.
Amid this suffering, she said it is “precisely in these terrible moments that living the Gospel saves”.
She outlined the Community’s efforts in Goma to restore hope to elderly people, women and children. In this context of faith and resilience, she said, Floribert has emerged as a shining example.
“We are sustained by the strong testimony of a young man like us, Floribert Bwana Chui, a member of the Community of Sant’Egidio in Goma,” she said.
Recalling how Floribert refused a bribe in a country where corruption is widespread, Minani said his example “is a source of hope for all young people in Congo, Africa and the whole world”.
Born amid the turmoil of eastern DRC, Floribert pursued his education diligently, earning a degree in law. A turning point came when he encountered the Sant’Egidio community, which encouraged him to serve the poor, especially the maibobo – street children stigmatised in the Great Lakes region.
Though he found work with the Customs department in Kinshasa, he returned voluntarily to Goma, prioritising his connection with the street children he supported, even paying for their education out of his own salary.
His role eventually placed him at the Rwandan border – a perilous zone marked by the constant movement of armed groups and contraband goods.
Floribert was responsible for inspecting goods crossing the frontier, reporting violations such as expired or counterfeit products. In this work, he was repeatedly offered bribes to ignore illegal shipments.
“This ultimately led to the terrible Saturday, 7 July 2007, when Floribert was kidnapped as he left a shop and forced into a car. Search efforts were unsuccessful. Two days later, at noon, he was found dead by a motorcyclist. His body showed signs of brutal beatings and torture sustained during his captivity. The autopsy revealed he had died on 8 July, the day that is now commemorated as his feast day,” recounts the Community of Sant’Egidio.
The cause for his beatification began soon after, with a diocesan investigation opening in March 2015 and concluding in December 2018. Pope Francis authorised the decree recognising Floribert’s martyrdom “in hatred of the faith” on 25 November 2024, paving the way for his beatification.
Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, will preside over the beatification ceremony.
The Community of Sant’Egidio, the Congolese Church led by the Bishop of Goma, and many faithful who hope for Africa’s peace and renewal are expected to attend.
Floribert Bwana Chui will be the fourth person associated with the Democratic Republic of the Congo to be beatified by the Catholic Church. He follows Isidore Bakanja and Anuarite Nengapeta, both native Congolese martyrs, and Albert Joubert, a French missionary priest killed in the DRC and beatified in 2024.
<em>(Photo credit: St. Egidio Community</em>)
