GOMA, Congo — The remains of a Congolese customs worker who was killed for resisting a bribe and recently beatified by the Vatican were transferred from a public cemetery to a cathedral in Congo's eastern city of Goma during a special Mass on Tuesday.
Hundreds of Catholic faithful gathered at Saint Joseph Cathedral to pay tribute to Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, who was kidnapped and killed in 2007 by unidentified assailants after he refused to allow rancid rice from neighboring Rwanda to be transported across the border.
The Vatican beatified Kositi during a ceremony in Rome. Pope Francis recognized him as a martyr of the faith late last year, setting him on the path to beatification and to possibly becoming Congo's first saint. It fit Francis' broader understanding of martyr as a social justice concept, allowing those deemed to have been killed for doing God's work and following the Gospel to be considered for sainthood.
In the conflict-battered city of Goma, where years of war have increased both desperation and corruption, Kositi's beatification has eased some of the pain caused by his death.
Some wore shirts and colorful traditional dresses with Kositi's portrait and chanted. Others waved flags that read ''martyr of honesty and moral integrity.''
Aline Minani, a close friend of Kositi, said the beatification was deeply meaningful to the local community.
''We now have a spokesperson, someone who can testify for us, who speaks on our behalf to God, so that we may experience the joy of the dream Floribert had: to see everyone gathered at the same table,'' Minani said.
She described the ceremony as a moment of profound collective emotion: ''We are all celebrating with a feeling of gratitude. There's so much emotion for us, and it feels like there's a glimmer of hope for our region and our country. Today, we are celebrating a Congolese Blessed from our own city, and that fills our hearts with joy.''
