Pope makes unexpected appearance at priest DJ’s cathedral rave

21 November 2025, 16:32

The Pope just delivered a message to ravers outside a 14th-century cathedral (with music by ‘The Clerical Brothers’, perhaps...?).

Move over, Faithless – there’s a new DJ in town, and he’s also a Catholic priest.

Padre Guilherme, a priest turned DJ, celebrated the 75th birthday of the Archbishop Bernard Bober on Saturday 8 November with a dance party outside a 14th-century cathedral in Slovakia.

There were spotlights, bass, an original song and even a video message from a very special guest: Pope Leo XIV, who delighted ravers by introducing the event via an LED.

Read more: Pope Leo XIV is a pianist who can play fiendish Bartók piano solos

Padre Guilherme has been a priest since 1999, both for his parish in Archdiocese of Braga and as military chaplain in the Armed and Security Forces. This was where he earned the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. But he’s adding another title to his name.

During the pandemic, Guilherme would host weekly DJ sets on live stream where we would experiment combining techno music with sacred, folk music. His aim was to express his love of faith and electronic music to encourage people to show humanity to others.

Guilherme found, through his own experiences, that in a rave people are more inclusive and respectful as characteristics like culture and ethnicity don’t matter. He believes that a shared love of music brings a diverse group of people together.

Read more: Ancient well hidden for centuries in Glasgow Cathedral crypt is being reawakened

Padre Guilherme - Cristo Redentor - Rio de Janeiro - Brasil - DJ Set (16.01.2025)

Robert Francis Prevost, who is now known as Leo XIV, became the 267th leader of the Catholic Church earlier this year, his appointment making headlines as he was the first American to fill the role. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he has a diverse heritage, being of Spanish and Franco-Italian descent.

Over the past year, the Pope has been actively exploring different avenues in creative arts to promote Catholic values. He even took part in the Letterboxd trend, sharing that his four favourite films were The Sound of Music, It’s a Wonderful Life, Ordinary People and Life is Beautiful. Each of these films were picked as they demonstrate the best of the human spirit.

It makes sense then, why he decided to feature as part of Guilherme’s rave, as they both share a love for artistic creativity.

He opened the set by saying, “With joy I greet you as you gather before this splendid cathedral of Košice, which is a beating heart of faith and hope. Coming from different nations, yet united by the same faith, your presence is a tangible sign of the fraternity and peace that is instilled in our hearts by friendship with Christ.”

This message became part of Guilherme’s unreleased single ‘Dear Young People’, taken off his EP titles ‘Integral Ecology’.

Lift up the Fallen (Snippet)

As the Catholic Church continues to bridge the gap between religion and youth culture, we can only expect to see more raves in the nave...