Martyrs Witnesses of Mercy, Charity, Peace and Reconciliation
Four new blesseds in Uvira in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Tomorrow, August 18, a beatification ceremony of great importance for the Catholic Church and the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo will take place in the diocese of Uvira.
Three Xaverian missionaries (Father Luigi Carrara, Father Giovanni Didoné, Brother Vittorio Faccin) and a priest from the diocese of Uvira (Abbot Albert Joubert), will be declared of beatified, recognized as martyrs who gave their lives, bearing witness to their faith in a context of extreme violence.
Presiding over the ceremony will be Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, Metropolitan Archbishop of Kinshasa, who will represent Pope Francis at this very important moment for the Congolese Catholic community and for the Xaverian religious family founded by St. Guido Maria Conforti. A ceremony that evokes not only the memory of these martyrs, but also that of so many other religious, such as Blessed Sister Anuarite Nengapeta murdered in Isiro in the same year 1964 and the Servant of God Monsignor Christophe Munzihirwa murdered in Bukavu in 1996.
Their martyrdom
This country, which had gained independence four years earlier, faced a dramatic transition characterized by socio-political unrest, which also targeted the Church. In this context of unrest, many missionaries decided to leave the country. But the Xaverians decided to stand by the people.
That was when, on the afternoon of November 28, 1964, a military jeep arrived in front of the church in Baraka. The rebel leader, then opposed to power, ordered Brother Faccin to board the vehicle and, when he refused, he was shot dead. Father Ferrara, who was in the confessional, came out to see what was going on and, instead of getting into the jeep, knelt down in front of his brother’s body, so he too was murdered.
The remains were horribly desecrated and displayed in the village.
One of the militiamen who participated in this terrible display later converted. That same evening, the commando arrived in Fizi and the leader knocked on the door of the rectory, killing in cold blood Father Didoné who came to open it and shortly afterward his colleague Father Joubert.
Need for peace
The beatification of the Xaverian missionaries and the priest from Uvira highlights their role as models of faith, mercy and reconciliation. In a country scarred by decades of conflict, their lives and sacrifice continue to resonate with the faithful.
These men chose to remain in the service of local communities despite the dangers and threats that hung over them. Their fidelity to the mission, even to martyrdom, testifies to an unwavering faith and a desire to serve others to the end.
This beatification is a powerful sign for the Catholic Church that highlights the crucial role that religious play in this country, particularly in works of mercy (the creation of schools, hospitals, other acts of charity that religious men, women religious, and missionaries carry out on a daily basis base), in the journey toward justice and peace. This ceremony will not only be a time of contemplation and prayer, but also a call for peace and reconciliation in a region still prey to violence.
Xaverian missionaries
Recall that the Xaverian missionaries arrived in Congo in 1958 in the Uvira region. Since then they devoted themselves to mass evangelization, and their first concern was to undertake the formation of the laity so that they would firmly root the Gospel. They multiplied stations, built chapels, schools, trained leaders and multiplied Christian communities. They paid special attention to the younger generation; with a concern to form consciences to a sense of justice, human dignity, and openness to others through the practice of charity.
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