Congolese Martyr Beatified on June 15 “highlights precious witness” of Laity, Youths: Pope Leo XIV

Born on 13 June 1981 in the city of Goma, the Blessed Floribert Bwana Chui was reportedly abducted and martyred in the same Congolese city on 8 July 2007 for standing up against corruption. 

He hailed from a wealthy family and studied law and economics. As a student, Bwana Chui joined the Community of Sant’Egidio, the Rome-based lay Catholic association dedicated to the provision of social services and arbitrating conflicts. He volunteered to reach out to street children.

He started his professional life in DRC’s capital city, Kinshasa, as a Claims Officer at the customs and goods control agency, the Congolese Control Office (OCC). His duty was to evaluate products crossing the DRC Eastern border.

Blessed Bwana Chui had to handle a moral dilemma, that of allowing contaminated food imported from neighboring Rwanda and without proper documentation and authorization for sale entry into DRC. 

In his June 16 address to the Congolese pilgrims at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV lauded Blessed Bwana Chui’s unwavering stance against corruption, emphasizing that such moral courage is rooted in a life grounded in prayer.

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“Where did such a young man find the strength to resist corruption, so deeply rooted in the current mentality and capable of unleashing violence?” the 267th Catholic Pontiff posed. 

For him, Blessed Bwana Chui’s “decision to keep his hands clean—as a customs officer—was shaped by a conscience formed through prayer, listening to the Word of God, and communion with his brothers and sisters.”

“He (blessed Bwana Chui) lived the spirituality of the Community of Sant’Egidio, which Pope Francis summarized with three 'Ps': prayer, the poor, and peace,” the Holy Father said.

He went on to remember the Congolese martyr for his dedication to the poor, saying, “The poor were central in his life. Blessed Floribert had a committed relationship with street children, driven to Goma by war, disdained and orphaned.”

“He loved them with the charity of Christ: he cared for them and was concerned about their human and Christian formation. Floribert’s strength grew from his faithfulness to prayer and to the poor,” the Holy Father said.

Blessed Bwana Chui was a man of peace, the Holy Father further said, and explained, “In a region as afflicted as Kivu, torn by violence, he waged his battle for peace with gentleness—serving the poor, fostering friendship and encounter in a fractured society.”

“This young man, not resigned to evil, had a dream—nourished by the words of the Gospel and closeness to the Lord. Many young people felt abandoned and hopeless, but Floribert listened to Jesus’ words: ‘I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you’ (John 14:18),” the Pope said.

Testimonies about Bwana Chui have indicated that he “preferred to die rather than allow through food that could harm many people.”

He refused to be bribed and reportedly went on to destroy the expired rice. And for his honesty and moral integrity, he was abducted and then murdered, according to witnesses, who recalled that he was fond of saying, “Money will disappear quickly. And what about those who would have consumed these products?”

The remains of Bwana Chui are to be transferred from the Kanyamuhanga cemetery to a place where pilgrims can access with ease for prayers. “This step will be followed by a procession and then Mass at Goma Cathedral Parish,’ Bishop Willy Ngumbi Ngengele said during a June 9 press conference. 

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The June 15 Beatification of Bwana Chui made him the fourth Blessed in DRC after Sr. Marie-Clémentine Anuarite Nengapeta from the Diocese of Wamba, layman Isidore Bakanja from Mbandaka-Bikoro Archdiocese, and Fr. Albert Joubert from the Diocese of Uvira, who was beatified in August 2024 alongside three Xaverian missionaries in Eastern DRC.

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.