A year after making headlines at World Youth Day, where he ‘woke up’ the young people attending the religious event in Lisbon, Father Guilherme is once again attracting attention in the international press.
“With big beats and a clerical collar, Father Guilherme has become an unlikely rising star in Portuguese electronic music,” writes Agence France-Presse (AFP) this Wednesday.
The news agency highlights that, in addition to his Catholic followers, Father Guilherme has over 900,000 users following his work on Instagram, where he shares both his musical and religious endeavors.
“Young people are at festivals, in clubs, and many are completely outside the Church. It’s [necessary] to reach them with a message of hope, faith, tolerance, harmony, and peace in their lives. Electronic music ends up being this personal touch that allows us to reach where it’s not easy,” Father Guilherme tells the news agency.
In the images captured by the agency, it’s reported that both in national territory and at concerts abroad, the artist is received like a “rock star,” and it’s noted that many of his sets mix music with parts of Pope Francis’ speeches.
AFP also spoke with some listeners, including Filipe Barroso, who tells the agency that it’s “fantastic to see the parallel of the Church, to be a priest who plays music and is good at what he does.” He adds: “It’s joining two supposedly different and opposite worlds, and he does it very well and with great quality.”
The agency also recounts how it all began, mentioning that Father Guilherme had the idea of combining these two worlds during a trip he took with Portuguese soldiers to Afghanistan, and decided to take courses related to electronic music. “He hopes his music will reach an audience that normally doesn’t go to Church,” the publication reads.
