reflections, updates and homilies from Deacon Mike Talbot inspired by the following words from my ordination: Receive the Gospel of Christ whose herald you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe and practice what you teach...
Pope prays for over 200 dead in eastern DRC mine collapse
Pope Leo XIV prays for the hundreds of people who died this week when a coltan mine collapsed in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo and recalls the victims of storms in Mozambique and Portugal.
By Devin Watkins
A landslide struck a major coltan mining site in DR Congo’s eastern North Kivu province on Wednesday, collapsing several mines.
At least 200 people died in the incident at the Rubaya mines, according to the North Kivu province governor, who was appointed by the M23 rebels that control the area.
Speaking at the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Leo XIV expressed his closeness to the victims of the tragedy and their families.
“I assure my prayers for the many victims of the landslide in a mine in North Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” he said. “May the Lord sustain that people who suffer so much!”
Leaders appointed by the M23 rebels temporarily halted artisanal mining near Rubaya, which lies around 50 kilometers from Goma.
The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo expressed solidarity with the victims but accused M23 rebels of illegally and unsafely exploiting the region’s natural resources.
DR Congo is a major supplier of coltan, a metallic ore containing minerals used to produce smartphones, computers, and aircraft engines, producing around 40 percent of the world’s supply in 2023.
Former miners from the area told the Associated Press that mines consist of large pits from which tunnels are dug by hand and left poorly maintained. Since many run parallel to one another, a collapse in one can cause several others to fail.
Prayers for flood victims in Mozambique, Portugal, Italy
At the Angelus, Pope Leo also prayed for the victims of recent storms in Portugal, southern Italy, and Mozambique.
At least 150 people were killed this week when severe storms struck Mozambique, and nearly a million people were affected by torrential rains and flooding.
In central Portugal, at least 6 people were killed due to Storm Kristin, which saw winds up to 202 kilometers per hour that left a trail of destruction.
Pope Leo on DRC attack: I pray for persecuted Christians
In the wake of the deadly attack on a church in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Pope Leo XIV launches an impassioned appeal for all efforts to be made to prevent such tragedies, and reassures all Christians suffering violence and persecution that he is praying for them.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
"I renew my deep sorrow for the brutal terrorist attack that took place during the night of July 26 to 27 in Komanda, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where more than forty Christians were killed in church during a prayer vigil and in their own homes."
Pope Leo XIV made the remarks during his Wednesday General Audience in St. Peter's Square, the Pope's first General Audience since his summer break. In his appeal, he decried the deadly attack on the Parish of Blessed Anuarite in Komanda, in the country's Ituri province.
More than 40 people were killed Sunday in eastern Congo's Ituri province when rebels stormed the Catholic church and opened fire on worshippers. At least 38 people, including women and children, were confirmed dead in the church, while several others were killed in a nearby village.
During today's Audience, the Pope said he entrusts the victims to God’s loving mercy, adding, "I pray for the wounded and for all Christians around the world who continue to suffer violence and persecution."
“I pray for the wounded and for all Christians around the world who continue to suffer violence and persecution”
With this in mind, the Pope said, "I urge those with responsibilities at both the local and international levels to work together to prevent such tragedies."
In a telegram of condolences sent in the wake of the attack earlier this week, the Holy Father prayed,” May the blood of these martyrs become a seed of peace, reconciliation, fraternity, and love for the Congolese people.”
“I urge those with responsibilities at both the local and international levels to work together to prevent such tragedies”
Pope: May blood of ‘martyrs’ in DRC church attack become seed of peace
Pope Leo XIV expresses sorrow and spiritual closeness following the deadly attack on the Parish of Blessed Anuarite in Komanda, in the Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
By Vatican News
” May the blood of these martyrs become a seed of peace, reconciliation, fraternity, and love for the Congolese people,” the Pope writes in his message following a brutal attack on a Catholic Church in Komanda town in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Nearly 40 people were killed Sunday in eastern Congo's Ituri province when rebels stormed a Catholic church during a vigil and opened fire on worshippers.
At least 38 people, including women and children, were confirmed dead in the church, while another five were killed in a nearby village.
In a telegram addressed to Archbishop Mugalu, President of the Congolese Bishops’ Conference on the Pope's behalf, Cardinal Pietro Parolin says, “His Holiness Pope Leo XIV learned with dismay and deep sorrow of the attack perpetrated against the Parish of Blessed Anuarite in Komanda, which caused the death of several faithful gathered for worship.”
This tragedy, he continues, “calls us even more urgently to work for the integral human developmentof the martyred population of that region.”
Concluding the telegram, Pope Leo XIV imparts his Apostolic Blessing upon the Parish of Blessed Anuarite, the mourning families, the faithful of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the entire nation.
Extremist militias
According to Congolese authorities, the attacks in Komanda town in the conflict-battered region were carried out by the Allied Democratic Force, a rebel group backed by the Islamic State that has mostly targeted villagers in eastern Congo and across the border in Uganda.
The ADF has roots in Uganda in the 1990s. Following the overthrow of long-term dictator Idi Amin, a coalition of various discontent groups saw the new government of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni as anti-Muslim. Since then, the group has grown into a potent force but has been pushed out of Uganda’s territories and now operates in the borderlands between Uganda and Congo, often targeting civilians in remote villages.
Floribert Bwana Chui: First Blessed of St. Egidio Community
The Community of St. Egidio is preparing to welcome its first Blessed, Congolese martyr Floribert Bwana Chui, who will be beatified on Sunday, June 15, in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, according to Aline Minani, head of the Community in Goma.
By Stanislas Kambashi
Floribert Bwana Chui, killed in 2007 at the age of 26 for resisting corruption, was deeply involved in the activities of the Community of St. Egidio in Goma.
The Community, particularly members in Goma, received the news of the beatification of one of its members “with gratitude and joy.”
“We are so proud to see that we are giving the Church a Blessed who was part of our community,” said Aline Minani, head of the St. Egidio Community in Goma. “For us it is a source of pride, particularly for Goma, which is known for tragic events. Now we have news that brings joy to us and to our whole community around the world.”
Floribert’s commitment to the 'street children'
Floribert will be the first Blessed of St. Egidio. Within his community in Goma, he left the image of a person “who wanted to serve and for whom every life mattered,” said Ms. Minani.
He was particularly committed to street children, known in Kiswahili as Maibobo. These young people have no roof over their heads, do not go to school, and have no guarantee for their present or future. This group received great attention from the future Blessed.
Ms. Minani recounts the case of Jonathan, a 10-year-old child. While at the port of Bukavu one day, he was playing in a boat with friends. As the vessel departed, the others escaped, but he remained. The next morning, he found himself in Goma, without family or direction.
Jonathan was entrusted to Floribert, who gave him every possible care. In the following days, Floribert went to Bukavu where he found Jonathan’s family and reintegrated him. The young Jonathan testified to the deep concern Floribert had for him.
For this boy, now grown up, the future Blessed “was an angel that God had sent to save him from the street,” reports the head of St. Egidio Goma.
Floribert Bwana Chui: Man of peace, cohesion, and unity
In addition to his commitment to street children, Floribert was a man of peace, cohesion, and unity.
“He wanted to see everyone together. He always said: ‘I dream of a Congo where everyone is seated at the same table’,” said Ms. Minani. In the community or elsewhere, “he wanted to see everyone around him happy.”
In a photo shared by St. Egidio, Floribert is seen at a table with children. It was a Christmas meal for the poor organized by the community. In the photo, “you can see that those who are serving and those who are being served are indistinguishable. That’s what Floribert wanted,” emphasized the head of the community.
Keeping his hands clean and overcoming evil with good
Floribert Bwana Chui was martyred in the prime of his life, at the age of 26, for refusing corruption by blocking the passage of a shipment of spoiled rice that could have endangered public health.
He was kidnapped, tortured, and killed. During his Apostolic Visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2023, at a meeting with young people at the Martyrs’ Stadium in Kinshasa, Pope Francis cited him as a model for youth:
“He could have let it happen, no one would have known, and he would have made money. But as a Christian, he prayed, he thought of others, and he chose to be honest, saying ‘no’ to the filth of corruption… If someone offers you an envelope, promises favors and riches, don’t fall into the trap, don’t let yourself be fooled, don’t let yourself be swallowed by the swamp of evil,” the Pope exhorted.
For Ms. Minani, Congolese and African youth can take up this call and follow in Floribert’s footsteps in order to “write a new story.”
She suggests often speaking of Floribert’s example, as someone who managed to keep together his Christian life and his professional life, which helped him not to bend in the face of dirty money and selfishness, “the culture of ‘save yourself.’”
By following his example, young people will know how to make the right choices when faced with situations similar to his, said the young Congolese woman.
She also advises reading the Scriptures frequently, as Floribert did. His Bible is kept in the Basilica of St. Bartholomew in Rome.
Floribert Bwana Chui is also a model for political leaders
In addition to young people, Floribert’s life can also inspire and challenge other members of society, said Ms. Minani. In her country, she observed, the social fabric is deteriorating day by day.
In the eastern region in particular—where the future Blessed suffered martyrdom—instability has lasted for three decades. Today, the cities of Goma and Bukavu are under the control of the politico-military group AFC/M23, supported by Rwanda, a neighboring country of the DRC. Many lives are being lost.
To her fellow Congolese, Ms. Minani advises working for national cohesion, following Floribert’s words: “I dream of a Congo where everyone is seated at the same table.”
To the leaders of the Great Lakes region, she calls for courageous choices like those of Floribert, fighting evil with good, ending the killings, stopping the bloodshed, and building peace—because “everyone’s life matters to everyone.”
“Enough of the deaths! Enough of the lost lives!” There is no more time to waste “even a single life,” she said. “We need an inclusive Africa where everyone finds their place, where no one feels isolated like an ‘island,’ as Andrea Riccardi, founder of St. Egidio, says. Let us build bridges, not walls,” the young Congolese woman pleaded.
In peace, everyone is victorious
“Peace is a piece of cake to be shared together. In peace, everyone is victorious,” said Ms. Minani. The future Blessed, she recounted, often sang the “Song of the Resurrection for Africa,” a hymn of the Community of St. Egidio.
“Yes! Goma can become a garden of peace! Yes, the DRC can become a garden. Each of us can plant a tree that bears fruit and shade, even in the chaos, the confusion, or the dark volcanic soil of Goma.”
Ms. Minani hopes that the beatification of Floribert Bwana Chui will be a moment of joy for the entire DRC, uniting the Congolese people and encouraging reflection on the situation in their country.
She invites all who can to participate in the beatification Mass, which will take place at 5:30 PM in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls on Sunday, June 15.
Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, will preside at the Canonization Mass. Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, Archbishop of Kinshasa, and Bishop Willy Ngumbi, Bishop of Goma—the diocese of origin of Floribert—will concelebrate.
The family of the future Blessed, Congolese people from all over, and the Congolese community in Rome are preparing for this great event. The Congolese government has also announced its participation.
RNS — While some cardinals emphasized continuity with Pope Francis, others put the spotlight on tradition.
Congolese Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of Kinshasa, left, distributes Communion at St. Gabriel the Archangel, his titular church in the Rome suburb of Della Vittoria, May 4, 2025. (RNS photo/Claire Giangravé)
VATICAN CITY (RNS) — At a church in a Roman suburb on Sunday (May 4), Congolese Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of Kinshasa preached on a story from the Gospel of John in which Jesus’ followers in the days after his death returned to their day jobs, afraid to rile those who put Jesus to death. He used the passage to pray for God to embolden the cardinals gathered in Rome in their work electing a new pope.
“We ask that the Holy Spirit, who encouraged the apostles to challenge the fear and the ire of the authorities of the time, to enlighten our cardinals who will gather in two days to elect a pope for the universal church who has an unshakable faith and is ready to face the challenges of the world today,” Ambongo told the congregation at St. Gabriel the Archangel in Della Vittoria.
Ambongo, considered a possible candidate to succeed Pope Francis, who died April 21, knows about the ire of the authorities. Appointed metropolitan archbishop of Mbandaka-Bikoro in 2016 and later vice president of that country’s bishops’ conference, Ambongo supported Catholic clergy and lay protests against President Joseph Kabila’s attempt to delay elections. Ambongo asked for an investigation to hold government forces accountable for violent suppression of protesters.
He became the head of the Archdiocese of Kinshasa in 2018 and Francis made him a cardinal the following year, after which Ambongo joined the Council of Cardinals advising the pope in his reform of the curia in 2020. Since 2023 he has served as president of the Symposium of Bishops Conferences of Africa and Madagascar.
“I am not here for Congo, or for Africa. I am here for the universal church. Our concern is for the universal church. When we are finished, I will return to Kinshasa and I will put on my hat as archbishop of Kinshasa and the fight continues,” Ambongo said.
At churches around Rome on Sunday, the cardinals who will begin their voting for pope on Wednesday made customary visits to their “titular” churches — where they are honorary members of the clergy as part of their rights as cardinals — to express their thoughts on what kind of pope, or what kind of church, they are looking for.
The passage from John, in which Jesus appears to the disconsolate apostles and tells the first pope, St. Peter, “Feed my flock,” was the Gospel reading at Francis’ funeral Mass. The cardinals would hear it again Sunday evening, at a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica marking the end of the Novemdiales, the nine days of mourning that follow the death of a pope.
The pontiff who urged his priests to have “the smell of the sheep” — to stay close to the faithful, not walled up inside their churches and doctrinal beliefs — seemed to be sending a message from beyond the grave. But on Sunday Vatican observers, keen to pick up any clues to how the cardinals will vote, strained to hear the messages being sent from the pulpits of Rome.
Cardinal Francois-Xavier Bustillo of Ajaccio, who supported Francis’ concern for migrants and refugees, said in his homily at Santa Maria Immacolata di Lourdes a Boccea that Jesus “doesn’t ask if you are strong, if you have a marketing strategy, if you can speak languages.” Instead, he asks “to love him until the end,” which means “we must be docile and responsible.”
At Santa Maria ai Monti, Cardinal Jean-Marc Noël Aveline of Marseille said the reading was about Jesus’ call to love and welcome others. “Let’s not be afraid of those who are different from us. Because every man, every woman is a brother, a sister, for whom Christ has died,” Aveline, who is considered a Francis-like candidate to the papacy, said.
Hungarian Cardinal Péter Erdo, a favorite contender for the papacy among conservative prelates, focused on history and tradition at the church of St. Francesca Romana, and touched on the need to promote collegiality among bishops, and the “decisive” role that bishops have in running local dioceses.
Hungarian Cardinal Péter Erdo, bottom center, speaks at St. Francesca Romana Church in Rome, May 4, 2025. (RNS photo/Aleja Hertzler-McCain)
“We pray for the conclave, for the new pope who will be elected for the church who will have to fulfill his mission at a dramatic moment for the history of the church,” Erdo said.
But many cardinals, encountering journalists outside their churches after Mass, declined to offer an interpretation of their remarks. Ambongo, considered the leader of the resistance by some African cardinals against Francis’ 2023 opening to bless same-sex couples, was asked about the issue of LGBTQ outreach outside San Gabriele, but said only that the cardinals are “not (concerned) with the controversies.”
He also denied having spoken to conservative American cardinals such as Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke at pre-conclave meetings known as general congregations. “Americans can talk to each other; Africans can talk to each other, but the work is the work of the Holy Spirit,” he said. About his chances of being elected pope, he said: “Why not? Every Catholic can become pope, that is the law, everyone, not just cardinals.”
Two American cardinals were more forthcoming. Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, arriving by subway at the church of St. Mary of the Graces, said the cardinals are converging on an emphasis on continuity with Francis’ pontificate. “There is no going back,” he said.
New York Archbishop Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s homily at Our Lady of Guadalupe church was quick, citing Francis’ distaste for long-winded homilies, but the cardinal took time to tell reporters afterward that the cardinals are looking for a candidate who can match Francis’ humility and charisma with Pope Benedict XVI’s “intellect” and Pope John Paul II’s “bravery.”
Dolan also dealt briefly with reporters’ questions about a post on the White House X account showing an artificial-intelligence-generated photo of U.S. President Donald Trump as pontiff that irked some Catholics. “It wasn’t good,” said Dolan, calling it “a brutta figura,” or “bad form” in Italian.
On the eve of Holy Week, Pope Francis renews his call for dialogue in war-torn Sudan and asks the international community to provide humanitarian assistance to the beleaguered population. He does not neglect to also to pray for Lebanon and other countries wracked by conflict and violence across the globe.
By Linda Bordoni
“The 15th of April will mark the second sad anniversary of the beginning of the conflict in Sudan, in which thousands have been killed and millions of families have been forced to flee their homes,” said Pope Francis on Sunday in a message distributed by the Holy See Press Office.
Recalling the “suffering of children, women and vulnerable people [that] cries out to heaven and begs us to act” the Pope renewed his appeal to the parties involved:
“That they may end the violence and embark on paths of dialogue, and to the international community, so that the help needed may be provided to the populations."
The war in Sudan
The war between rival militaries – the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – began on 15 April 2023 after a breakdown in the transition to civilian rule following the overthrow of long-time President Omar al-Bashir. Heavy fighting has levelled towns and cities and claimed tens of thousands of lives.
At least 12.4 million people have been uprooted from their homes, including more than 3.3 million refugees.
On Saturday, the UN aid cooperation office, OCHA, warned that “With no viable peace in sight, the Sudanese are trapped in a humanitarian crisis of industrial proportions.”
“Two out of three people need aid, that’s 30 million people… the OCHA spokesperson said, adding that this “demands a massive ramp-up of international support; what we see instead is donors pulling back funding across the world.”
Lebanon
Pope Francis, whose Sunday reflections and appeals have been distributed by the Press Office since he was hospitalized in mid-February and as he continues to convalesce at Casa Santa Marta, also appealed to men and women of goodwill to keep Lebanon in their prayers.
“Let us also remember Lebanon, where the tragic civil war began fifty years ago: with God's help, may it live in peace and prosperity,” he said.
Prayers for peace
Pope Francis also turned his thoughts to other war-torn countries across the world:
“May peace come at last to martyred Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, the Democratic Republic of Congo, to Myanmar, to South Sudan.,” he prayed.
“May Mary, Mother of Sorrows, obtain this grace for us and help us to live this Holy Week with faith.”
