In Buenos Aires, tens of thousands of people invaded the Plaza de Mayo on Saturday for a “rave” honoring Pope Francis, one year after his death, to the electro sound of Portuguese DJ Guilherme Peixoto.
The iconic Plaza de Mayo, accustomed to large political and activist demonstrations, recently marked the solemn 50th anniversary of the dictatorship (1976-1983) for over two hours, transforming into a massive party, clogging adjacent avenues.
Intense pulsations, powerful yet melodic build-ups, video mappings of celestial clouds, peace doves, crosses, interspersed with images and audio messages from Pope Francis: alternately cheerful or absorbed, at the DJ table, Father Guilherme, in a black shirt and clerical collar, animated what has brought him international recognition in recent years, and what moves him.
The municipality of Buenos Aires expected between 30,000 and 50,000 people to attend the free concert. Symbolically, in front of the cathedral where Jorge Bergoglio was a very popular archbishop for 15 years before becoming Pope Francis in 2013, he never returned to Argentina until his death on April 21, 2025.
The blend of electro and religious messages has become the trademark of Father Guilherme, well known beyond his native Portugal – originally from Guimaraes, he is a pastor in Braga – for his techno “masses” held across the world, in Lisbon, Beirut, Mexico, Rio, Ibiza…
A bridge to young people, endorsed by Pope Francis himself, who met and invited him to lead the World Youth Days in Lisbon in 2023.
“It’s great that he’s trying to bring people together through electronics and religion,” said Tomas Ferreira, a 25-year-old lawyer in a predominantly young but not entirely young crowd, who unlike 63% of Argentines, considers himself non-Catholic. However, he is aware that “religion is modernizing, and that’s a good thing.”
Reproduced on giant screens in nearby avenues, the concert, under the theme “Francis lives in the encounter,” alternated purely electro sounds with a few brief but not without religious reference, such as “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” (by Bob Dylan).
“I find it wonderful because it comes from an intention of the church to bring together a lot of people, different types of people,” said Martina Jardon, an 18-year-old student.
The Father adds: “I never felt that because I was in the seminary I should not do this or that, or go out at night. At 18, we formed a pop-rock group…”
Starting to organize karaoke in the 2000s in his parish to raise funds, he gradually began to mix, then develop a techno culture. The pandemic saw him pivot, producing streams and viral sets.
Over time, his techno “became a little more melodic, that’s what I play now. It also allows me to insert a series of messages throughout the set,” he points out.
“If it’s possible to travel together on the track, then it’s also possible to travel together outside, right?”
