Religion, music, and controversy: Padre Guilherme’s concert divides opinion in Lebanon

Report by Petra Abou Haidar, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian 

It may sound unusual to hear of a priest who is also a DJ, but such a figure does exist. Padre Guilherme tours internationally and enjoys wide popularity. Crowds often line the streets hours before his performances.

For the first time, Padre Guilherme is set to visit Lebanon, where he is scheduled to perform a music concert at AHM, a Beirut nightclub, on the 10th of the month. Interest in the event has been strong, with only a limited number of tickets remaining.

The concert, however, has drawn objections from a group of individuals and clergy. Eighteen people have submitted a petition calling for an immediate ban on the event. 

They argue that holding a music concert in a nightclub, led by a priest wearing religious attire and combining electronic music with Christian symbols, constitutes a clear violation of the sanctity of the church and distorts Christianity and its rituals.

Before examining the controversy further, it is important to explain how Padre Guilherme reached this point.

He is a Portuguese priest who began his musical journey modestly, organizing a concert to raise funds for his church and parish. Music, in this context, served as a means of support and an act of charity, consistent with church teachings.

The objections raised in Lebanon to this concert — which is not the first of its kind worldwide — prompt a broader question: Where does the real issue lie? There is no text or canon law that prohibits a Catholic priest from engaging in another profession or expressing himself through music.

Moreover, the Vatican has endorsed several of Padre Guilherme’s performances. Documented videos include his participation in a concert held in front of St. Elizabeth Cathedral in Slovakia, during which a direct message from Pope Leo XIV was delivered.

If the highest ecclesiastical authority has given its approval, who, then, has decided locally that this is wrong?

The issue is not the concert, the music, or the DJ; it runs deeper.

In Lebanon, society is accustomed to religious sects guiding communities and imposing norms in the name of religion. Faith is often confined to rigid frameworks, as if the church were a museum rather than a living space. Yet music is not foreign to faith or alien to the church. Psalms were written to be sung, and hymns were created to be chanted.

This raises a final question: Who determines what constitutes true faith? Who granted the authority to decide that this priest’s actions violate the sanctity of the church? Why can it not simply be a matter of personal freedom — allowing those who wish to attend such performances to do so, and those who do not to abstain — rather than becoming an instrument of repression in the name of religion?