The remains of Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, a Congolese customs worker killed for resisting a bribe, were moved to Saint Joseph Cathedral in Goma on Tuesday.
Hundreds gathered to honour Kositi, who was kidnapped and murdered in 2007 after refusing to allow rancid rice from Rwanda to cross the border. The Vatican recently beatified Kositi in Rome, with Pope Francis recognising him as a martyr of faith and social justice.
Kositi’s beatification offers hope to Goma, a city scarred by war, corruption, and despair.
Attendees wore shirts and traditional dresses bearing Kositi’s portrait and waved flags calling him a “martyr of honesty and moral integrity.” Aline Minani, a close friend, said the beatification gave the community a spiritual advocate who embodies Kositi’s dream of unity and justice.
“This ceremony brings us gratitude and a glimmer of hope for our region and country,” she said, voice heavy with emotion. Marie Juudi urged youth across Congo to follow Kositi’s example of rejecting corruption to save lives and promote development.
Archbishop Fulgence Muteba Mugalu called the beatification a “powerful wake-up call” to fight corruption and build peace together. Eastern Congo remains torn by conflict, with over 100 armed groups, many backed by Rwanda, causing millions of deaths since the 1990s.
This year, Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized Goma and Bukavu, escalating the ongoing violence in the region.
Corneille Nangaa, leader of the Congo River Alliance including M23 forces, attended the Mass in Goma. Kositi’s beatification stands as a solemn beacon amid chaos, inspiring hope and a call for moral integrity in a fractured land.