Padre Guilherme, aka the ‘DJ Priest’, highlights dance music’s unifying role at a Beirut club night

Padre Guilherme, the Portuguese priest widely known as the “DJ Priest”, performed in Beirut last week, bringing his music-led message of unity to one of the city’s largest nightclubs amid public debate and legal scrutiny.

Speaking to fans during a Q&A session ahead of his January 10 performance, Guilherme framed music as a shared language across belief systems. “Music brings everyone together on the dance floor, from all religions—even atheists,” he said. “Electronic music is one language that all understand. It will not solve the problems of the church, of course, but it can help convey messages of faith and peace.”

Guilherme’s international profile has grown steadily in recent years. In 2023, he performed during World Youth Day in Lisbon ahead of the closing Mass with Pope Francis, who later encouraged him to continue DJing despite criticism. “Pope Francis told me, himself, to pursue this new passion,” Guilherme recalled. “I was still shy about D.J.-ing, but he pushed me, stressing that the message of Christ must be shared and not to shy away because of critics.”

His Beirut appearance, organised by Factory People and 2ND SUN at AHM, drew objections from a small group within the city’s Maronite Christian community, resulting in a lawsuit seeking to halt the event. The case was later dismissed. As reported by americamagazine.org, Factory People chief executive Jad Souaid, who is also known as Jade, said the objections did not reflect official church authority. “If the church itself had asked us to cancel the event, we would have, but [the litigants] have no institutional authority,” he said.

In response to the controversy, organisers introduced several changes to the show. “We asked Padre Guilherme not to perform in his clerical clothing, and [that] no Christian symbols would be shown,” Souaid added. The adjustments led to a planned protest being called off, and Guilherme ultimately performed in regular clothing without overt religious imagery. “We wanted to respect the diversity of Lebanese society and be inclusive. Padre’s message is one of unity, peace and brotherhood, and that’s what we wanted to reflect,” said Factory People managing director Peter Mouracade to americamagazine.org.

The event attracted over 2,000 people from diverse religious backgrounds, organisers said. Lebanese security and the Red Cross monitored the show, and no security issues were reported.

[Via: America]