A Congolese customs worker who resisted corruption is beatified by the Vatican

ROME (AP) — The Vatican on Sunday beatified a Congolese customs worker who was killed for resisting a bribe, giving young people in a place with endemic corruption a new model of holiness: Someone who refused to allow spoiled rice to be distributed to poor people.

The head of the Vatican’s saint-making office, Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, presided over the beatification ceremony of Floribèrt Bwana Chui Bin Kositi on Sunday at one of the pontifical basilicas in Rome, St. Paul Outside the Walls.

The event attracted a cheering crowd of Congolese pilgrims and much of Rome's Congolese Catholic community, who will be treated to a special audience Monday with Pope Leo XIV.

Faithful wore T-shirts and vests with Kositi’s portrait and erupted in chants and applause as soon as the beatification ceremony was concluded, waving Congolese flags.

Kositi was kidnapped and killed in 2007 after he refused to allow rancid rice from Rwanda to be transported across the border to the eastern Congo city of Goma.

As an official with the Congolese government’s custom’s quality control office, the 26-year-old knew the risks of resisting bribes offered to public officials. But he also knew the risks of allowing spoiled food to be distributed to the most desperate.

“On that day, those mafiosi found themselves in front of a young man who, in the name of the Gospel, said ‘No.’ He opposed,” his friend Aline Minani said. "And Floribèrt, I think that for me personally, I would say for all young people, is a role model.”

Pope Francis recognized Kositi as a martyr of the faith late last year, setting him on the path to beatification and to possibly become Congo's first saint. The move fit into the pope’s 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.

“Our country almost holds the gold medal for corruption among the countries of the world," Goma Bishop Willy Ngumbi told reporters last week. "Here, corruption is truly endemic. So, if we could at least learn from this boy’s life that we must all fight corruption … I think that would be very important.”

Transparency International last year gave Congo one of the poorest marks on its corruption perception index, ranking it 163 out of 180 countries surveyed and 20 on the organization’s 0-100 scale, with 0 highly corrupt and 100 very clean.

The beatification has brought joy to Goma at a time of anguish. Violent fighting between government forces and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels has led to the death of thousands of people and the rebels’ capture of the city has exacerbated what already was one of the world’s biggest humanitarian crises.

It has renewed the hopes of many in the country of more than 100 million people whose development has been stifled by chronic corruption, which Francis railed about during his 2023 visit to the country.

Speaking at the Kinshasa stadium then, Francis said Kositi “could easily have turned a blind eye; nobody would have found out, and he might even have gotten ahead as a result. But since he was a Christian, he prayed. He thought of others and he chose to be honest, saying no to the filth of corruption.”

The Italian priest who spearheaded Kositi’s sainthood case, the Rev. Francesco Tedeschi, knew him through their work with the Saint'Egidio Community. He broke down Saturday as he recounted Kositi's example and Francis' call for the church to recognize the ordinary holiness in the “saints next door.”

“In the end, this was what Floribert was, because he was just a boy,” Tedeschi said as he began weeping.

On Sunday, worshippers gathered at the Saint Joseph Cathedral in Goma to follow Kositi’s beatification ceremony live. Outside of the cathedral, some bought photos and cloth featuring his portrait.

Olive Njemba, a 65-year-old mother who was close to Kositi's family, was one of them.

“Those who killed him thought that it was the end of his life, but Almighty God raised him up, and that is our joy,” Njemba said while wearing the commemorative cloth she just bought. “For us mothers, we have great joy in buying this to celebrate our child who is now blessed.”

Inside the church, Abbé Célestin Kanyabiriri, head of the pastoral commission, made a brief speech ahead of the ceremony.

“This event is not only for Catholics — he is a model for all of us,” Kanyabiriri said.

“The fact that he was chosen from our diocese, for me, is a sign that the Lord is inviting us to be apostles of honesty, apostles of moral integrity ... in order to fight against corruption — a cancer that has plagued our country from independence to today, especially starting from the very top of power,” he added.

At Goma’s Floribert Bwana Chui School of Peace, which is named in honor of Kositi and advocates for social justice, his beatification is encouraging everyone who sees him as a role model, school director Charles Kalimba told The Associated Press.

“It’s a lesson for every generation, for the next generation, for the present generation and for all people. Floribert’s life is a positive point that must be presented to the Congolese nation. We are in a country where corruption is almost allowed, and this is a challenge that must be taken up,” Kalimba said.

Tedeschi said the martyr designation recognized Kositi died out of hatred for the faith, because his decision to not accept the spoiled food was inspired by the Christian idea of the dignity of everyone, especially the poor.

Being declared a martyr exempts Kositi from the requirement that a miracle must be attributed to his intercession before he is beatified, thereby fast-tracking the process to get to the first step of sainthood. The Vatican must, however, confirm a miracle attributed to his intercession for him to be canonized, a process that can take years or more.

Kambumba contributed from Goma, Congo, and Asadu from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writers Trisha Thomas and Isaia Montelione contributed from Rome.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu speaks during a Mass for the beatification of Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, a Congolese man killed in 2007 for fighting corruption, in St. Paul Outside the Walls' Basilica, in Rome, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

From right, Gertrude Kamara Ntawiha, mother of Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, a Congolese man killed in 2007 for fighting corruption, and his brothers Jean-Claude, center, and Tresor, attend a ceremony for his beatification in St. Paul Outside the Walls' Basilica, in Rome, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

The jacket that Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi was wearing at the time of his assassination is carried as a relic by his brothers Jean-Claude, left, and Trésor, at the start of a ceremony for his beatification in St. Paul Outside the Walls' Basilica, in Rome, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

Faithful pray during a ceremony for the beatification of Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, a Congolese man killed in 2007 for fighting corruption, in St. Paul Outside the Walls' Basilica, in Rome, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

Faithful celebrate at the end of a ceremony for the beatification of Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, a Congolese man killed in 2007 for fighting corruption, in St. Paul Outside the Walls' Basilica, in Rome, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

Faithful wave flags during a ceremony for the beatification of Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, a Congolese man killed in 2007 for fighting corruption, in St. Paul Outside the Walls' Basilica, in Rome, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

Faithful arrive for the beatification ceremony of Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, a Congolese man killed in 2007 for fighting corruption, in St. Paul Outside the Walls' Basilica, in Rome, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

Faithful wait for the start of a beatification ceremony of Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, a Congolese man killed in 2007 for fighting corruption, in St. Paul Outside the Walls' Basilica, in Rome, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

Faithful wait for the start of a beatification ceremony of Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, a Congolese man killed in 2007 for fighting corruption, in St. Paul Outside the Walls' Basilica, in Rome, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

Faithful wait for the start of a beatification ceremony of Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, a Congolese man killed in 2007 for fighting corruption, in St. Paul Outside the Walls' Basilica, in Rome, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

Faithful wait for the start of a beatification ceremony of Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, a Congolese man killed in 2007 for fighting corruption, in St. Paul Outside the Walls' Basilica, in Rome, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

Faithful wait for the start of a beatification ceremony of Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, a Congolese man killed in 2007 for fighting corruption, in St. Paul Outside the Walls' Basilica, in Rome, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

People attend a mass service in honour of Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, at a catholic church in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sunday June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

People leave following a mass service in honour of Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, at a catholic church in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sunday June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

A man wears a T-shirt with a portrait of Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, during a mass service in his honour at a catholic church in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

People look at a fabric with a portrait of Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, during a mass service in his honour at a catholic church in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

FILE - Cardinal Marcello Semeraro presides over the beatification ceremony of Rev. Moisés Lira at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, Sept. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ginnette Riquelme, File)

FILE - Aline Minani holds a photo of Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, a Congolese man killed for fighting corruption in 2007, and whose beatification was approved by Pope Francis, in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dec. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa, File)

Iran eased some restrictions on its people and, for the first time in days, allowed them to make phone calls abroad via their mobile phones on Tuesday. It did not ease restrictions on the internet or permit texting services to be restored as the toll from days of bloody protests against the state rose to at least 646 people killed.

Although Iranians were able to call abroad, people outside the country could not call them, several people in the capital told The Associated Press.

The witnesses, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said SMS text messaging still was down and internet users inside Iran could not access anything abroad, although there were local connections to government-approved websites.

It was unclear if restrictions would ease further after authorities cut off all communications inside the country and to the outside world late Thursday.

Here is the latest:

Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel said he summoned Iran’s ambassador to the Netherlands “to formally protest the excessive violence against peaceful protesters, large-scale arbitrary arrests, and internet shutdowns, calling for immediate restoration of internet access inside the Islamic Republic.

In a post on X, Weel also said the Dutch government supports EU sanctions against “human rights violators in Iran.”

The United Nations human rights chief is calling on Iranian authorities to immediately halt violence and repression against peaceful protesters, citing reports of hundreds killed and thousands arrested in a wave of demonstrations in recent weeks.

“The killing of peaceful demonstrators must stop, and the labelling of protesters as ‘terrorists’ to justify violence against them is unacceptable,” U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in a statement Tuesday.

Alluding to a wave of protests in Iran in 2022, Türk said demonstrators have sought “fundamental changes” to governance in the country, “and once again, the authorities’ reaction is to inflict brutal force to repress legitimate demands for change.”

“This cycle of horrific violence cannot continue,” he added.

It was also “extremely worrying” to hear some public statements from judicial officials mentioning the prospect of the use of the death penalty against protesters through expedited judicial proceedings, Türk said.

“Iranians have the right to demonstrate peacefully. Their grievances need to be heard and addressed, and not instrumentalized by anyone,” Türk said.

Finland’s foreign minister says she is summoning the Iranian ambassador after authorities in Tehran restricted internet access.

“Iran’s regime has shut down the internet to be able to kill and oppress in silence," Elina Valtonen wrote in a social media post Tuesday, adding, “this will not be tolerated. We stand with the people of Iran — women and men alike.”

Finland is “exploring measures to help restore freedom to the Iranian people” together with the European Union, Valtonen said.

Separately, Finnish police said they believe at least two people entered the courtyard of the Iranian embassy in Helsinki without permission Monday afternoon and tore down the Iranian flag. The embassy’s outer wall was also daubed with paint.

Iranian security forces arrested what a state television report described as terrorist groups linked to Israel in the southeastern city of Zahedan.

The report, without providing additional details, said the group entered through Iran’s eastern borders and carried U.S.-made guns and explosives that the group had planned to use in assassinations and acts of sabotage.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the allegations.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate hailed people who have “long warned about this repression, at great personal risk.”

“The protests in Iran cannot be separated from the long-standing, state-imposed restrictions on girls’ and women’s autonomy, in all aspects of public life including education. Iranian girls, like girls everywhere, demand a life with dignity,” Yousafzai wrote on X.

“(Iran’s) future must be driven by the Iranian people, and include the leadership of Iranian women and girls — not external forces or oppressive regimes,” she added.

Yousafzai was awarded the peace prize in 2014 at the age of 17 for her fight for girls’ education in her home country, Pakistan. She is the youngest Nobel laureate.

The French Foreign Ministry said it has “reconfigured” its embassy in Tehran after reports that the facility's nonessential staff left Iran earlier this week.

The embassy's nonessential staff left the country Sunday and Monday, French news agency Agence France-Presse reported.

The ambassador remained on site and the embassy continued to function, the ministry said late Monday night.

Associated Press writer Angela Charlton contributed from Paris.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he believes the Iranian government is in its “final days and weeks,” as he renewed a call for Iranian authorities to end violence against demonstrators immediately.

“If a regime can only keep itself in power by force, then it’s effectively at the end,” Merz said Tuesday during a visit to Bengaluru, India. “I believe we are now seeing the final days and weeks of this regime. In any case, it has no legitimacy through elections in the population. The population is now rising up against this regime.”

Merz said he hoped there is “a possibility to end this conflict peacefully," adding that Germany is in close contact with the U.S. and European governments.

The Israeli military said it continues to be “on alert for surprise scenarios” due to the ongoing protests in Iran, but has not made any changes to guidelines for civilians, as it does prior to a concrete threat.

“The protests in Iran are an internal matter,” Israeli military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin wrote on X.

Israel attacked Iran’s nuclear program over the summer, resulting in a 12-day war that killed nearly 1,200 Iranians and almost 30 Israelis. Over the past week, Iran has threatened to attack Israel if Israel or the U.S. attacks.

Mobile phones in Iran were able to call abroad Tuesday after a crackdown on nationwide protests in which the internet and international calls were cut. Several people in Tehran were able to call The Associated Press.

The AP bureau in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was unable to call those numbers back.

Witnesses said the internet remained cut off from the outside world. Iran cut off the internet and calls on Thursday as protests intensified.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the latest death toll early Tuesday. The agency relies on supporters in Iran to cross-check information.

The agency said 512 of the dead were protesters and 134 were security force members.

More than 10,700 people have been detained over the two weeks of protests, the agency said.

This frame grab from videos taken between Jan. 9 and Jan. 11, 2026, and circulating on social media purportedly shows images from a morgue with dozens of bodies and mourners after crackdownon the outskirts of Iran's capital, in Kahrizak, Tehran Province. (UGC via AP)

This frame grab from videos taken between Jan. 9 and Jan. 11, 2026, and circulating on social media purportedly shows images from a morgue with dozens of bodies and mourners after crackdown on the outskirts of Iran's capital, in Kahrizak, Tehran Province. (UGC via AP)

This frame grab from videos taken between Jan. 9 and Jan. 11, 2026, and circulating on social media purportedly shows images from a morgue with dozens of bodies and mourners after crackdown on the outskirts of Iran's capital, in Kahrizak, Tehran Province. (UGC via AP)

Protesters hold up placards and flags as they demonstrate outside the Iranian Embassy in London, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

Shiite Muslims hold placards and chant slogans during a protest against the U.S. and show solidarity with Iran in Lahore, Pakistan, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

Activists carrying a photograph of Reza Pahlavi take part in a rally supporting protesters in Iran at Lafayette Park, across from the White House, in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Protesters burn the Iranian national flag during a rally in support of the nationwide mass demonstrations in Iran against the government in Paris, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

People attend a rally in Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (Boris Roessler/dpa via AP)

A picture of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is set alight by protesters outside the Iranian Embassy in London, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)