Catholic priest Padre Guilherme DJs a rave in Beirut, drawing cheers and controversy

BEIRUT — Ravers danced and swayed to loud bass at a popular nightclub in the heart of Beirut on Saturday, with the DJ at the helm serving as a focal point for both cheers and criticism.

What was different this time was the DJ herself not a typical club act: Padre Guilherme, a Catholic priest known publicly as Guilherme Peixoto. Before putting on his headphones, he had led a Mass earlier in the day at Saint Joseph University of Kaslik, according to the Associated Press.

Peixoto, who is from a village in northern Portugal, has described his DJing as a way to express his faith, send a message of peace and coexistence, and connect with young people. He said, “The Psalm asks us to praise the lord with all instruments, so now you have this new instrument that came that is electronic music,” as he spoke before holding Mass at the university.

His global rise has been rapid. The Associated Press reported that Padre Guilherme has been a global sensation for months, performing around the world and amassing a following of 2.6 million on Instagram. The story said his breakout followed performances at World Youth Day in 2023 and at high-profile papal events, including an open-air Mass before Pope Francis and a separate event featuring Pope Leo in 2025.

Lebanon was a stop on that tour. The Associated Press reported that Christians make up around a third of Lebanon’s 5 million people, with Maronite Catholics the largest Christian group, and said Pope Leo XIV visited Lebanon in November as part of his first official trip abroad.

That religious backdrop did not prevent controversy around Padre Guilherme’s earlier show in the country. Eighteen people, including Christian religious officials, sent a petition to Lebanon’s judiciary calling for his show to be canceled, the AP reported. The petition was rejected by a judge, and the club where he performed said it would provide security and display no religious symbols, according to the report.

After objections surfaced, Peixoto acknowledged the criticism publicly and appealed for prayer. “For those that are objecting, if I, for them, I’m kind of scandal for them, I (am) sorry of course. And I only can ask (them) to pray for me,” he said, according to the Associated Press.

Before his night set, Padre Guilherme also preached at the university, donning the traditional white robe of a priest and delivering a sermon alongside a Lebanese priest at a jam-packed auditorium filled with youth and older people, the AP reported.

Reactions to his Lebanon appearance have been split, especially on social media. One X user wrote, “We who were raised to respect the word of God and the sanctity of the message in all its forms cannot accept turning faith into an entertainment show presented on a table of alcohol,” and added that they did not believe God intended for the message to be reduced to a musical show involving alcohol and smoke, according to the Associated Press report. Another X user praised him, saying, “The people attacking him just don’t understand how powerful and needed his work is,” the AP said.

By nightfall, he walked onto the stage at AHM nightclub to cheers and applause from hundreds of people. The AP reported that as he played, images of the late Pope Francis, Pope John Paul II, and white doves appeared on huge screens behind him, and that he played a song for Lebanon and waved a Lebanese flag.

Organizers also adjusted his look. The Associated Press reported that unlike his usual DJing garb, the priest did not wear his cassock for the Beirut performance, citing an agreement with organizers after complaints.

The appearance landed amid broader anxieties in Lebanon, where the Associated Press said the country has faced crisis and conflict among political groups and sects as well as externally in the region. It reported that many fear a new escalation between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group, and said Pope Leo in November called for peace and dialogue in Lebanon and the broader Middle East.

In his own message for the dance floor, Peixoto framed the event as a lesson in coexistence. He said, “The message is always: look to the dance floor, you see respect, you see something always beautiful … if this is possible for people with different race (and) clothes dancing together, why we cannot live like that in the world?” according to the Associated Press.