Vatican beatifies Congolese customs officer killed for rejecting a bribe
In 2007, Floribèrt Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, a customs quality control officer, was abducted and murdered after he refused to green light the transport of the spoiled rice. His moral stand, however, cost him his life.
The Catholic Church on Sunday beatified a Congolese man who was brutally murdered in 2007 for refusing to take a bribe to allow spoiled rice to be transported from Rwanda to Goma.
Beatification is the third of four steps in the Catholic Church's process of declaring someone a saint. Once beatified, the individual is given the title "Blessed" and may be publicly honoured and remembered in specific regions or by particular groups.
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The final step is canonisation, which formally declares the person a saint, allowing for universal recognition and celebration within the Church.
The requirements for beatification include a freely chosen and voluntary offering of one's life, with full awareness of the likelihood of an early death for the sake of charity.
The individual must also have demonstrated consistent Christian virtues before and during the act of sacrifice, and be regarded as having a reputation for holiness, at least after death.
Additionally, a verified miracle attributed to their intercession is typically required after death for the beatification to proceed.
In 2007, Floribèrt Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, a customs quality control officer, was abducted and murdered after he refused to green light the transport of the spoiled rice. His moral stand, however, cost him his life.
Bwana will be the fourth person beatified in the Democratic Republic of Congo, following Blessed Anuarite Nengapeta, Isidore Bakanja, and Father Albert Joubert, who was beatified alongside three Xaverian missionaries in Uvira, eastern DRC.
Since he was declared a martyr, Bwana was exempted from the requirement of a miracle for beatification, speeding up the path toward sainthood. However, a confirmed miracle is still needed for his canonisation, a step that could take years.
According to the BBC, the beatification was conducted at one of the pontifical basilicas in Rome, a ceremony presided over by the head of the Vatican's saint-making office, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro.
Throngs of Congolese pilgrims and members of Rome's Congolese Catholic community gathered to celebrate the beatification. They donned clothing bearing Kositi's image and will receive a special audience with Pope Leo XIV on Monday.
In 2023, the late Pope Francis recognised Bwana's sacrifice as a witness to faith, opening the way for his beatification and potential canonisation, an acknowledgement that reflected the late Pope's broader view of martyrdom as including those who die upholding justice and living out the Gospel in service to others.
"I think of the witness given by a young person like yourselves, Floribert... only twenty-six years old, he was killed in Goma for having blocked the passage of spoiled foodstuffs that could have been harmful to people's health," Pope Francis said in a past statement.
"He could have easily turned a blind eye; no one would have known, and he might even have gained an advantage. But, as a Christian, he prayed. He thought of others and chose honesty, saying no to corruption. That is what it means to keep your hands and heart clean."
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