US EditionPope Leo: May Blessed Floribert Bwana Chui inspire peace in Africa
- Floribert Bwana Chui, a Congolese customs official and member of the Sant'Egidio Community, was beatified on June 15, 2025, during a ceremony held at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls in Rome.
- His beatification followed Pope Francis's recognition of Chui’s martyrdom in November 2024, after he was abducted and killed in 2007 for refusing bribes and opposing corruption.
- On June 16, Pope Leo XIV addressed Congolese pilgrims, praising Chui’s moral courage shaped by prayer, a conscience formed through God’s word, and commitment to the poor and peace.
- The Pope wondered how a young man found the courage to oppose deeply rooted corruption, which is widely accepted and often violent, and explained that Chui maintained his integrity through prayer, listening to Scripture, and sharing in community.
- Chui’s beatification made him the fourth blessed from the DRC and signaled a hopeful example of honesty and peace for Kivu, Congo, and all of Africa, with prayers for long-awaited peace through his intercession.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Beatified Congolese martyr highlights ‘precious witness of laity, youth’ Pope Leo says
Scenes from the beatification of Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, a Congolese martyr, in Rome on Sunday, June 15, 2025. In a Monday, June 16, audience with pilgrims from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), who traveled for the beatification ... [...]
Beatified Congolese Martyr Highlights ‘Precious Witness of Laity, Youth’ Pope Leo Says
Vatican Media Scenes from the beatification of Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, a Congolese martyr, in Rome on Sunday, June 15, 2025. In a Monday, June 16, audience with pilgrims from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), who traveled for the beatification of Bwana Chui at the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls, the Holy Father said: “This Congolese layman highlights the precious witness of the laity and young people.” Born on June 1…
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The Catholic WeeklyAt audience with martyr’s mother, pope prays for peace in Congo
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In the presence of the mother of the newly beatified martyr, Pope Leo XIV prayed that Blessed Floribert Bwana Chui would intercede to finally bring peace to Congo. “This African martyr, on a continent rich in young people, shows how they can be a ferment of ‘unarmed and disarming’ peace,” the pope said June 16 during a meeting with people who had attended the 26-year-old’s beatification the previous evening. Gertrude Kamara …
Pope Leo: May Blessed Floribert Bwana Chui inspire peace in Africa
A day after the beatification of Blessed Floribert Bwana Chui, Pope Leo XIV recalls his example of faith in God and peacebuilding, and prays that the Blessed may bring "long-awaited peace soon to Kivu, to Congo, and to all of Africa." Read all
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