Catholics in Congo honor an anti-corruption martyr newly beatified by the Vatican

GOMA, Congo (AP) — 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.”

Marie Juudi, also present at the Mass, said she encourages young people in Goma and across Congo to follow Kositi's example.

“He rejected corruption in order to save lives. Our country continues to struggle with development because of widespread corruption and dishonesty," she said.

Archbishop Fulgence Muteba Mugalu of Lubumbashi, who also serves as president of the Congolese bishops’ conference, called the beatification “a powerful wake-up call" for people to get involved in the fight against corruption.

He said it also carries a message of hope.

“No matter how serious the challenges are that we face today, we must build peace, and peace is something we must build together,” Muteba said.

Eastern Congo has been wracked by conflict with more than 100 armed groups, the most potent backed by Rwanda, that have killed millions since the 1990s.

The fighting escalated earlier this year when the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels advanced and seized Goma, followed by another strategic city, Bukavu.

Corneille Nangaa, the leader of the Congo River Alliance that includes the M23, was present at the Mass.

Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal.

People attend Mass to celebrate the life of late Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, at a catholic church in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tuesday July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

Catholic priests attend Mass to celebrate the life of late Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, at a catholic church in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tuesday July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

People attend Mass to celebrate the life of late Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, at a catholic church in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tuesday July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

People attend Mass to celebrate the life of late Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, at a catholic church in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tuesday July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

Catholic priests attend Mass to celebrate the life of late Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi, at a catholic church in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tuesday July 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday fired off another warning to the government of Cuba as the close ally of Venezuela braces for potential widespread unrest after Nicolás Maduro was deposed as Venezuela's leader.

Cuba, a major beneficiary of Venezuelan oil, has now been cut off from those shipments as U.S. forces continue to seize tankers in an effort to control the production, refining and global distribution of the country's oil products.

Trump said on social media that Cuba long lived off Venezuelan oil and money and had offered security in return, “BUT NOT ANYMORE!”

“THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA - ZERO!” Trump said in the post as he spent the weekend at his home in southern Florida. “I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.” He did not explain what kind of deal.

The Cuban government said 32 of its military personnel were killed during the American operation last weekend that captured Maduro. The personnel from Cuba’s two main security agencies were in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, as part of an agreement between Cuba and Venezuela.

“Venezuela doesn’t need protection anymore from the thugs and extortionists who held them hostage for so many years,” Trump said Sunday. “Venezuela now has the United States of America, the most powerful military in the World (by far!), to protect them, and protect them we will.”

Trump also responded to another account’s social media post predicting that his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, will be president of Cuba: “Sounds good to me!” Trump said.

Trump and top administration officials have taken an increasingly aggressive tone toward Cuba, which had been kept economically afloat by Venezuela. Long before Maduro's capture, severe blackouts were sidelining life in Cuba, where people endured long lines at gas stations and supermarkets amid the island’s worst economic crisis in decades.

Trump has said previously that the Cuban economy, battered by years of a U.S. embargo, would slide further with the ouster of Maduro.

“It’s going down,” Trump said of Cuba. “It’s going down for the count.”

A person watches the oil tanker Ocean Mariner, Monrovia, arrive to the bay in Havana, Cuba, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

President Donald Trump attends a meeting with oil executives in the East Room of the White House, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)