The Community of Sant'Egidio announces with joy the beatification of the Servant of God Floribert Bwana Chui, to be held on 15 June at 5.30 p.m. in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, presided over by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
The celebration will be attended by the Diocese of Goma, led by its bishop, Mgr. Willy Ngumbi, and other representatives of the Congolese Church, including Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo of Kinshasa.
We give thanks for the witness of faith and holiness of this young man, who shared the life of the Community in love for the poor and protection of the little ones. Floribert, a customs officer on the border with Rwanda, actively involved since he was a university student in the School of Peace of Sant'Egidio in Goma, refused to allow the passage, in exchange for money, of deteriorated food harmful to the health of the poorest. In July 2007, he was tortured and killed at the age of only twenty-six. His martyrdom ‘in hatred of the faith’ was recognised last November by Pope Francis, paving the way for his beatification, as it was linked to corruption and the cult of money at any cost, which pollutes Africa's future and hopes. His resistance to evil is a sign of hope and resurrection for the tormented region of Kivu, ravaged for years by a violent civil war, which has worsened in recent months, as well as for all the young people of the continent, the vast majority of its population.
Pope Francis remembered him with these words on 2 February 2023, at the Martyrs' Stadium in Kinshasa, during his visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo:
I think of the witness given by a young person like yourselves, Floribert Bwana Chui, who fifteen years ago, at only twenty-six years old, was killed in Goma for having blocked the passage of spoiled foodstuffs that would have been harmful for people’s health. He could easily have turned a blind eye; nobody would have found out, and he might even have gotten 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, for hands that traffic in easy money get stained with blood. If someone offers you a bribe, or promises you favours and lots of money, do not fall into the trap. Do not be deceived; do not be sucked into the swamp of evil. Do not be overcome by evil! Do not trust shady financial schemes that plunge you into the darkness. To be honest is to shine like the day; it is to radiate the light of God. It is to live the beatitude of justice: overcome evil with good!
