Luigi Carrara and 3 companions

The work of these four men was concentrated in the Diocese of Uvira, established in 1962 and pastorally entrusted to the Xaverian Missionaries. They worked mainly in the localities of Baraka and Fizi, situated on the shores of Lake Tanganyika. Father Luigi Carrara dedicated his first years of mission to the intensive study of local languages, notably Kiswahili, in order to preach as closely as possible to the populations. His ministry was characterized by great simplicity and constant proximity to the humblest. Father Giovanni Didonè distinguished himself by his pastoral dedication to the most destitute in Fizi, where he established himself as a spiritual pillar for the nascent local community. Brother Vittorio Faccin, as a lay religious, took care of the material tasks of the Baraka mission, cared for the sick, and devoted a significant part of his time to the supervision and training of the youth of Catholic Action. Father Albert Joubert, attached to the Diocese of Uvira in 1962, concentrated his action on parish pastoral care and teaching. Convinced of the crucial importance of education to protect youth against violence, he invested himself tirelessly in the management of local schools. In 1964, the Simba rebellion (a Muleleist movement of Marxist-Leninist inspiration, mixed with traditional magical-superstitious beliefs) plunged the Kivu region into terror. Churches were looted, Christian symbols profaned, and the clergy, both white and indigenous, were actively persecuted. Despite explicit death threats and incitements to flee, the four missionaries deliberately chose to remain with their faithful so as not to abandon their flock in danger.

On November 28, 1964, the violence of the rebels reached the missions of Baraka and Fizi. In Baraka, in the early afternoon, a military jeep carrying the rebel colonel Abedi Masanga stopped in front of the mission. The rebel leader ordered Brother Vittorio Faccin to board the vehicle. Faced with the religious's refusal, the colonel shot him in cold blood. Father Luigi Carrara, who was hearing confessions in the church, immediately came out to inquire about the situation. Also refusing to cooperate, he knelt to pray near the body of his confrere and was shot in turn. Their remains were then desecrated by the militiamen. In the late afternoon, the same rebel commando traveled the 50 kilometers separating Baraka from Fizi. Arriving at the local mission, Colonel Masanga knocked on the door. Father Giovanni Didonè opened it for him and was immediately killed by a bullet. A few moments later, Father Albert Joubert, present at his side, was also murdered. The cause for the beatification of these four servants of God was introduced to have their death recognized as martyrs of the faith (in odium fidei). On December 14, 2023, Pope Francis authorized the promulgation of the decree officially recognizing their martyrdom, thus dispensing the cause from the presentation of a miracle.

The solemn beatification ceremony took place on August 18, 2024, in Uvira, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Mass was celebrated on the square of Saint Paul's Cathedral in Uvira, in the presence of a vast crowd of faithful, numerous bishops from the region, and international delegations.

Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, Archbishop of Kinshasa, presided over the rite of beatification as the personal representative and special envoy of Pope Francis. He was assisted by the Apostolic Nuncio to the DRC, Archbishop Mitja Lescovar.

On the same day, during the Angelus prayer in Rome, Pope Francis publicly honored the memory of the new blesseds, declaring that their martyrdom crowned a life entirely spent for the Lord and for their brothers, and expressing the wish that their example might foster paths of reconciliation and peace for the Congolese people.

Their common liturgical feast is set for November 28, the anniversary of their martyrdom.

Nicknamed the 'Martyrs of Fraternity', Luigi Carrara, Giovanni Didonè, Vittorio Faccin, and Albert Joubert leave behind a spiritual legacy centered on absolute fidelity to the Gospel, unconditional love for one's neighbor, and the refusal to flee in the face of danger. Their sacrifice is perceived by the local Church as a seed of peace for the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, a region that continues to suffer from armed conflict and instability. A striking sign of the fruitfulness of their testimony is the subsequent conversion of one of the young militiamen who participated in the desecration of Brother Faccin's body in Baraka. Today, the relics of the blessed continue to unite the communities they served: Father Giovanni Didonè and Father Albert Joubert rest together in a common tomb within the new church of Fizi, while Father Luigi Carrara and Brother Vittorio Faccin are buried in Baraka.