Vatican City: Just a day after his beatification, Pope Leo XIV paid tribute to Blessed Floribert Bwana Chui, a powerful new inspiration for faith and peacebuilding in Africa. Addressing pilgrims gathered in Rome for the beatification ceremony, the Pontiff expressed profound hope that the newly recognized Blessed might usher in "long-awaited peace soon to Kivu, to Congo, and to all of Africa."
Pope Leo XIV reflected on the profound holiness and devoutness of Floribert Bwana Chui, a Congolese layman and martyr. "This African martyr, in a continent rich in youth, shows how they can be a leaven of peace unarmed and disarming," the Holy Father remarked. "This Congolese layman highlights the precious value of the witness of laypeople and young people."
During his address, the Pope posed a poignant question: "Where did a young man draw the strength to resist corruption, so entrenched in the prevailing mindset and capable of any violence?" He answered by emphasizing Floribert’s deep spiritual roots. As a customs officer, his "choice to keep his hands clean was formed by a conscience shaped through prayer, listening to the Word of God, and communion with his brothers and sisters."
Pope Leo XIV further noted that Blessed Floribert lived by the spirituality of the Community of St. Egidio, a movement the late Pope Francis often summarized with three core principles: prayer, the poor, and peace.
The Pontiff highlighted how central the poor were to Floribert's life. Blessed Floribert demonstrated an unwavering commitment and closeness to street children, many of whom were orphaned and driven to Goma by war, often facing societal disdain. "He loved them with the charity of Christ," the Pope affirmed, marveling at how Floribert "cared about them and was concerned with their human and Christian formation." This profound dedication to prayer and the poor, Pope Leo observed, was the wellspring of Floribert's strength and his embodiment as a true man of peace.
"In a region so afflicted as Kivu, torn by violence," Pope Leo underscored, Floribert "carried on his struggle for peace with gentleness, serving the poor, practicing friendship and encounter in a divided society." The Holy Father stressed that this young man, far from succumbing to despair, "had a dream nourished by the words of the Gospel and closeness to the Lord." Despite many young people feeling abandoned and without hope, Floribert found solace and inspiration in Jesus' words: 'I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you'."
With this powerful testament to faith, Pope Leo declared, "No land is abandoned by God!" underscoring Blessed Floribert's unwavering trust in the Lord for the future. He concluded his address with a fervent prayer, imploring that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary and the newly Blessed Floribert, "the long-awaited peace may soon come to Kivu, to Congo, and to all of Africa!" His message resonated as a profound call for spiritual inspiration to overcome the continent's persistent challenges.