In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Peace be with you!

Your Eminence, brothers in the episcopate,
dear brothers and sisters!

I welcome you with joy, after the beatification of Floribert Bwana Chui. I greet the bishops present, in particular those of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including the bishop of Goma, the diocese where the new Blessed lived. I greet the mother and relatives of Blessed Floribert, as well as the Sant’Egidio Community, to which he belonged. This young man met with martyrdom in Goma on 8 July 007. I remember him with the words of beloved Pope Francis, addressed to the young people of Kinshasa, during his apostolic journey in Congo: “A young person like yourselves, Floribert Bwana Chui … 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. … 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. … 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!” (2 February 2023).

Where did a young man find the strength to resist corruption, rooted in the current mentality and capable of any violence? The choice to keep his hands clean – he was a customs official – matured in a conscience formed by prayer, listening to the Word of God, and communion with his brothers.

He lived the spirituality of the Sant’Egidio Community, which Pope Francis summarized in three words beginning with the letter “P”: prayer, the poor, and peace. The poor were decisive in his life. Blessed Floribert lived a family life committed to street children, driven to Goma by war, despised and orphaned. He loved them with Christ’s charity: he was interested in them and concerned with their human and Christian formation. A friend recalls: “He was convinced that we were born to do great things, to make a mark on history, to transform reality”.  ^{[1] []}

He was a man of peace. In a region as troubled as Kivu, torn by violence, he continued his battle for peace with meekness, serving the poor, practicing friendship and encounter in a fractured society. A religious sister recalled that he used to say: “The community puts all peoples at the same table”.

This young man, not at all resigned to evil, had a dream, which he nourished with the words of the Gospel and closeness to the Lord. Many young people felt abandoned and hopeless, but Floribert listened to the words of Jesus: “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you” (Jn 14:18). No land is abandoned by God! He invited his friends not to give up, and not to live for themselves. Despite everything, he expressed confidence in the future. He said: “The Lord is preparing a new world, where there will be no more war, hatred will be wiped out, violence will no longer appear like a thief in the night … children will grow up in peace. Yes, it is a great dream. Let us not live, then, for what is not worthy. Rather, let us live for this great dream!”.

This African martyr, in a continent rich in young people, shows how they can be a leaven for “disarmed and disarming” peace. This Congolese layperson sheds light on the precious value of the witness of the laity and the young. May then, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary and Blessed Floribert, the longed-for peace in Kivu, Congo and all of Africa soon be reached! Thank you.

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[1] The testimonies and words of Blessed Floribert Bwana Chui are taken from the  Positio super Martyrio.

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Holy See Press Office Bulletin, 16 June 2025