YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon – Bishop Willy Ngumbi Ngengele of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) says the planned beatification of Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi is a thing of pride for the people of the country.

Ngengele was speaking at a press conference June 9 ahead of the beatification of the Congolese young customs officer who was killed in 2007 after refusing to take a bribe.

His beatification ceremony is scheduled for Trinity Sunday, June 15, at the prestigious 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 of the planned beatification.

“Whether we are Muslim, Catholic, Christian, Protestant, or part 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 said.

“This young man from Goma has become not only a model and an icon for all generations but also a ‘global heritage,’” the bishop said.

The young customs officer resisted the dictatorship of money by blocking the passage of spoiled foodstuffs that would have been harmful for people’s health.

Addressing thousands of youths at the stadium in Kinshasa on February 2, 2023, during his visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pope Francis said that Floribert “could easily have turned a blind eye, no one 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 and your heart clean too,” Francis said of Floribert’s attitude.

Gertrude Kamara, Floribert Bwana Chui’s mother is reportedly already in Rome for her son’s beatification. She says her son was an intelligent and respectful person, but she never believed he would ever be recognized 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 radio in the DRC.

Floribert Bwana Chui is poised to become the first blessed associated with the Community of Sant’Egidio. Born on June 13, 1981, he was only 26 years old when he was murdered. He is now widely regarded as the “martyr of corruption” and was deeply involved with the Community of Sant’Egidio in Goma, a region devastated by decades of conflict.

This context was highlighted by Aline Minani, leader of the Community of Sant’Egidio in Goma, during a testimony in Rome on June 7.

She spoke of the devastating consequences of the DRC’s decades-old conflict, saying it is “fueled by obscure interests.”

Condemning the war as “horrible,” Minani noted how “human life has no value,” particularly for the elderly, children, and women who pay the highest price.

Amid this suffering, Minani stressed that it is “precisely in these terrible moments that living the Gospel saves.”

She detailed the Community’s efforts in Goma to restore hope to the despairing elderly, women, and children. It is within this framework of faith and resilience, she confessed that Floribert Bwana Chui has emerged as a shining example to be followed.

“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 to take a bribe in a country where bribery and corruption are acceptable ways of living, Minani noted that his example “is a source of hope for all young people in Congo, Africa and the whole world.”

Born into the turmoil of eastern DRC, Floribert pursued education diligently, earning a Law degree. A turning point came when he met the Community of Sant’Egidio, which challenged him to serve the poor, specifically the maibobo—street children scorned in the Great Lakes region.

While he found work in Kinshasa’s Customs department, upholding standards for goods transiting the country, Floribert’s heart remained in Goma. He voluntarily returned, prioritizing his connection with the street children he supported, funding their education with his own income.

His professional role eventually placed him at the Rwanda border, a perilous zone characterized by the rampant, unchecked movement of armed groups and assorted goods across the frontier.

Floribert’s job involved checking the quality of goods entering or leaving the country, reporting violations such as counterfeit, damaged, or harmful items. In the course of this duty, he faced the constant temptation of bribery from those attempting to smuggle expired goods across the border.

“This ultimately led to the terrible Saturday, July 7 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 in a note detailing Floribert’s life.

Despite this violent end, the journey towards declaring Floribert Bwana Chui blessed began shortly after, with a diocesan investigation starting in March 2015 and concluding successfully on December 9, 2018. This momentum continued with Pope Francis’s decisive authorization on November 25, 2024, allowing the decree recognizing Floribert’s martyrdom “in hatred of the faith” to be promulgated and paving the way for beatification.

Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, will preside over the beatification ceremony on Sunday.

Attending will be the Community of Sant’Egidio, the Congolese Church led by the Bishop of Goma, and numerous faithful who believe in Africa’s future peace and resurrection.

As Aline Minani recently prayed, “May the great gift of peace be granted to us soon.”