Dear friends,
I would first of all like to open with an affectionate thought, of gratitude, to the beloved Pope Francis, who recognised the martyrdom of the servant of God Floribert and who interpreted it in his memorable speech to the young people of Kinshasa. But how can we not be grateful to the Holy Father Leo XIV, who decreed the beatification of Floribert Bwana Chui? And we received the decree from the hands of Cardinal Semeraro.
We are profoundly grateful to the Holy Father, but we are also very grateful, and I thank him, to Cardinal Semeraro, who has presided over this celebration with such participation and who has spoken so passionately about the life of the servant of God, making us discover new aspects of a story that is yet to be understood.
I thank all of you who are here, but especially my Congolese friends, the family of Floribert Bwana Chui, his mother and brothers, who so meaningfully brought among us that relic: the habit Floribert wore at the moment of his martyrdom.
I thank the Congolese Church, the episcopate, the president of the Bishop Conference, the bishop of Goma. And, in a very special way, Cardinal Ambongo, for his words, which were also so affectionate towards the Community of Sant'Egidio. Thank you truly for this celebration, which was full of prayer and hope for the Congo, but also of solidarity for its Church, so determined to seek peace and justice.
I greet the Community of Sant'Egidio in Goma, which was the loudest among the Congolese! Gratitude to you all.
This figure of Floribert, who unveiled himself with this image before us, has much to say in this time of conflicts and of the cult of strength and money. This young 26-year-old shows that one can overcome evil with good, that weakness is not a condemnation and that in the weakness of those who believe, of those who pray, of those who love the poor, there is strength.
Today, in the humble Floribert there is a heroic note, which is so often missing in our resigned life. But Blessed Floribert Bwana Chui, with his testimony, makes each one of us discover this heroic note. He makes us discover a force for peace, for good, for change, for trust in God.
The prophet Isaiah says: The calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. In this world there is a need to bring together the calf and the young lion, the wolf and the lamb. Who will lead them? A little child. Today the child is a young man, killed in Goma in 2007, who becomes a witness and a guide, as the cardinal said, for the older among us, but also for the young. He is a light for the young Congolese, the Africans and the entire world.
He has become a witness and a guide for the Congolese, and certainly for the entire Community of Sant'Egidio. Yes, a guide, for a life that is generous and strong. Blessed Floribert Bwana Chui shows the resigned that there is hope for a peaceful future. It is that peace, it is that justice that we wish for our dear Congo, and in particular for Kivu, a country that we always carry in our hearts, if only because of the legacy of Blessed Floribert.
Thank you.
