By Paschal Norbert
GOMA, JULY 11, 2025 (CISA) – Hundreds of faithful filled Saint Joseph Cathedral in the eastern Congolese city of Goma on July 8, for a solemn Mass marking the reinternment of Blessed Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, the customs official hailed for sacrificing his life rather than yielding to corruption.
The young Congolese layman, beatified last month in Rome, was brutally murdered in July 2007 after he refused to approve the entry of spoiled rice from neighbouring Rwanda while working for the Congolese Control Office (OCC). Then only 26 years old, Floribert’s act of moral courage cost him his life, but has since inspired a nation burdened by cycles of conflict and endemic corruption.
“Floribert is not just a martyr of our time; he is a beacon of honesty and moral integrity,” said Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo during a concurrent Mass in Kinshasa’s Cathedral of Notre-Dame du Congo.
“His sacrifice reminds us that holiness is possible, even in public service, even amid corruption and violence,” he stated.
The Mass in Goma, organized by the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO), led by bishops, drew a large crowd of Catholics, civil servants, and young people. Many came dressed in shirts and traditional attire adorned with the beatified’s image, waving flags that read: “Martyr of Honesty and Moral Integrity.” The atmosphere was both celebratory and reverent, punctuated by hymns and testimonials that spoke to the enduring legacy of Blessed Floribert.
“Floribert was my friend,” said Aline Minani, a visibly emotional attendee. “We grew up in the same community. What he did was heroic, but also very human. He simply chose to do the right thing.”
Marie Juudi, another local participant, said, “Young people in Goma and across Congo must take courage from his example. He stood firm for what was right, even when it cost him everything.”
Floribert was a member of the lay Catholic Community of Sant’Egidio. He was abducted on July 7, 2007, and found dead two days later. His beatification process began in 2015 in the Diocese of Goma and concluded its diocesan phase in 2018. On November 25, 2024, Pope Francis authorized the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints to recognize his martyrdom in odium fidei – “in hatred of the faith.”
The Pope’s recognition aligns with his broader view of martyrdom as encompassing those who suffer or die for living out Gospel values in defense of human dignity and justice.
Floribert was officially beatified on June 15, 2025, during a solemn liturgy at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, presided over by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.
The presence at the Mass of Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Congo River Alliance, which includes the M23 rebel group backed by Rwanda, raised eyebrows, but officials insisted the moment was a time for unity and reflection rather than division. Goma and the wider eastern DRC continue to suffer under the weight of armed conflict, displacement, and socio-political instability.
The tomb of Blessed Floribert at Saint Joseph Cathedral is expected to become a site of pilgrimage and national conscience, a place where the faithful and future civil servants alike can remember a young man who dared to be honest.
As one young congregant said while lighting a candle near the new tomb, “He did not live long, but he lived well. In Floribert, Congo has found not just a Blessed, but a brother, a protector, and a model of hope.”
