RADAR

BEATIFICATION OF CONGOLESE LAYMAN FLORIBERT BWANA CHUI BIN KOSITI

BY NICAISE KIBEL’BEL OKA | DRC

FLORIBERT BWANA Chui Bin Kosti, born to Congolese parents, will be beatified on June 15, 2025, in Rome. The investigation phase into the person who already had received the title of “Servant of God” has been successfully concluded.

According to the diocesan inquiries that study the Cause of Saints (Sanctorum Mater), the process of declaring someone blessed, (beatification and canonization), refers to a faithful Catholic being considered a saint due to his heroic life as a Christian during his lifetime, at the time of his death and after his death or who sacrificed his life as a martyr. Floribert Bwana Chui meets all the criteria laid down by Sanctorum Mater.

Why is Floribert Bwana Chui a martyr for Christ?

A young layman from the city of Goma, born on June 13, 1981, he served as a Christian at the Saint-Esprit parish in the city of Goma. He died a bachelor.

Floribert Bwana Chui worked at the Congolese Control Office, or OCC (initials in French), and in the Department of Damages as a Commissioner in charge of Damages in Kinshasa since September 2006, after completing his law studies at the University of Goma. He was then transferred to Goma at his personal request. The ways of the Lord are mysterious.

He was abducted on July 7, 2007. His motionless body was found on July 9, 2007, not far from the Karibu Hotel in Goma. He was assassinated for having refused with great determination to allow spoiled food into Congolese territory, despite offers of corruption from economic criminals. To his fellow servants and those sent to try to bribe him, Floribert Bwana Chui declared that as a baptized Catholic, he could not accept an offer that would endanger the lives of Congolese people. And in the face of death threats, he remained uncompromising, ready to die to live in Christ. In exchange for greenbacks ($), he agreed to preserve the lives of thousands of Congolese and other foreigners who had chosen Congo as their second homeland.

Universal example of a young man

For the universal Church, this act of faith went beyond simple professional duty and therefore allows him, as an example and following in the footsteps of Christ, who gave his life for others, to be treated as a martyr. He died as a witness to the faith. On June 15, 2025, Floribert Bwana Chui bin Kositi will become a citizen of Heaven in Rome.

He was assassinated for having refused with great determination to allow spoiled food into Congolese territory, despite offers of corruption from economic criminals.

Above all, Floribert Bwana Chui is a living hero whose courageous act deserves to be admired during current times when the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly in its eastern part (North Kivu and South Kivu), is experiencing foreign aggression and occupation and when certain Congolese from amongst others Goma and Bukavu have been recruited as puppets in service of the aggressor. In the tradition of Anuarite Nengapeta and Isidore Bakanja, the Democratic Republic of Congo, a blessed land, has raised children who have transcended trials by offering their lives for the salvation of others.

At this crucial moment, we must thank Bishop Théophile Kaboy, currently Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Goma, and the entire team who compiled the contents of the file and investigated this specific case, resulting in this holy man accessing heavenly joy. May this action challenge the conscience of the Congolese people and teach them to resist evil invaders in the manner in which Floribert Bwana Chui bin Kosito did, and who now joyfully attains heavenly bliss.

Source: https://lescoulissesrdc.info