Brothers and sisters in the Lord,
it is with great joy that we welcomed the recognition by Pope Francis last November of the martyrdom of the servant of God Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi. On this Holy Trinity Sunday we are particularly happy that this has been accomplished. Floribert Bwana Chui has been proclaimed Blessed! This is a great honour for the Church, God's family, which is in the Democratic Republic of Congo and which still sees one of its lay children recognised as an example and model of honesty and moral integrity.
On behalf of the entire Congolese Bishop Conference and all the Congolese people, represented here by a large official delegation, both by members of the government and of parliament, and also on my own personal behalf, we wish to thank the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, represented here by His Eminence Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, who presided over the proclamation ceremony for Floribert's beatification. On our behalf, please accept our expression of gratitude for this celebration.
And then we take this opportunity to thank and congratulate the biological family of Blessed Floribert, also represented here. As you know, there is his mother, there are his two brothers. Certainly Floribert's family contributed to his education in the faith, which then allowed Floribert to be here as a model of life for what he lived and did. Thank you.
Special thanks to the Community of Sant'Egidio, represented here by Marco, Andrea, and all the others of the Community, which was Floribert's spiritual family, and it is. This spiritual family was the one that led the cause for the beatification of the servant of God. May you, members of the Community of Sant'Egidio, accept our deep gratitude. May the Lord bless your work for Gospel values!
The beatification of Floribert, in the midst of the security crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly in the North, in Kivu, in Goma, the fact that he represented it heroically in the midst of difficulties, is a sign. Floribert is with his suffering people. His presence and his beatification nourish our hope in a positive resolution of these problems, by the grace of God.
Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, we welcome this beatification as an appeal, made to the Catholic faithful and to all people of good will, for peace and for greater transparency in the management of public affairs, in the name of the risen Jesus Christ. We would like to assure the Holy Father Leo XIV that our Bishops' Conference will organise pastoral indications to win against corruption. May Blessed Floribert Bwana Chui intercede for his country, for the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Reiterating our gratitude to Cardinal Semeraro and to all of you who have come in such great numbers to participate, I take this opportunity to say again our attachment to the successor of the Apostle Peter. We ask him to bless our family, people and country, the Democratic Republic of Congo.
