The life of the Argentine pontiff, and his legacy on caring for the earth and fraternity, will be the focus of a tribute that, far from being nostalgic, will seek to engage the youth with the values and vision of Jorge Bergoglio through a musical proposal led by the world’s most famous Catholic DJ.
On April 18 at 20:00, the Plaza de Mayo will be the venue for a historic tribute to Pope Francis, marking the first anniversary of his passing, which occurred on April 21 last year. Under the motto “All, all, all,” the event is supported by the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires and the City of Buenos Aires.
The event, titled “Francis Lives in the Encounter“, is organized by the Civil Association Miserando and will feature the central participation of Father Guilherme Peixoto, the renowned Portuguese priest and DJ. The announcement was made by the DJ on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
The focus of the tribute will be the show by the famous Portuguese DJ and priest, whose visual and immersive proposal uses contemporary language to connect Francis’s legacy with new generations. Admission will be free.
The call of Miserando
“This is a message that transcends borders. This is a tribute centered in Buenos Aires, the city where Jorge Mario Bergoglio forged his pastoral vision and learned to hear the cry of the neighborhoods, although its meaning and projection are inherently global,” said María Inés Narvaja, president of the Miserando Association and niece of Pope Francis, in a statement. “Francis’s legacy transcends borders, religions, and cultures, positioning this encounter as a cultural and symbolic moment of global reach,” she added.
“In a social context marked by polarization, fragmentation, and discord, the need to listen again to Francis’s message becomes a hope for many,” said Narvaja. “This tribute does not seek to be an act anchored in memory, but a living response that reaffirms the culture of encounter as a possible path to rebuild fraternity and peace in a humanity that today feels divided,” she continued.
Sources from the event’s organization indicated that they aim to emphasize the inclusive nature of the event. “As part of its identity, in which mercy is a lifestyle that obliges us not to make anyone invisible, we will have as special guests the most vulnerable,” states the organization’s statement. Additionally, a live broadcast is being planned for all those who cannot reach the Plaza de Mayo.
Who is Father Guilherme
Father Guilherme is a Portuguese Catholic priest and international DJ, famous for mixing techno music with messages of faith and hope. Ordained in 1999, he combines his pastoral work in the archdiocese of Braga with performances at global festivals, seeking to connect with young people through electronic music.
Born in Guimarães, Portugal, in 1974, he became world-famous after his performance at the 2023 World Youth Day in Lisbon. His musical style combines melodic techno with samples of prayers, speeches by Popes (Francis and John Paul II), and church bells, aiming to convey values of love, peace, and spirituality on the dance floor, promoting inclusion and respect among people, the environment, and cultures.
His proposal seeks to break down barriers between the church and contemporary culture, demonstrating that faith and electronic music can coexist. Additionally, his performances often include remixes that use phrases from Pope Francis’s encyclicals, including Laudato si’ on caring for the Common Home, and Fratelli tutti, integrating the Church’s social doctrine into the dance floors. Last year he released his first musical work on environmental themes.
“With ‘Integral Ecology’, I wanted to create a space for reflection and connection, both with humanity and nature. These themes were born from the desire to share Pope Francis’s vision. Integral Ecology is not only about caring for the Earth, nature, and animals, but also about mutual care. It is the conviction that there is only one race, the human race, and that we are all brothers and sisters, children of the same Father. My hope is that listeners feel uplifted and inspired to live with respect, kindness, tolerance, charity, and peace,” said Father Guilherme during the launch of his latest extended play, in October last year.
Father Guilherme‘s interest in DJing began during his mission as a military chaplain for the Portuguese armed forces in Afghanistan in 2010, where he started organizing social events and playing music to motivate and entertain the deployed troops. Upon returning to Portugal, he decided to professionalize by enrolling in a DJ school and began organizing karaoke nights and later electronic music sessions in his parish in Laúndos to raise funds and pay off the debts from the church restoration works.
However, it was only during the COVID-19 pandemic that his popularity grew by conducting weekly live streams, a time when he began to delve deeper into the techno genre, and his career reached an international level after his viral performance at the 2023 World Youth Day in Lisbon, where he played for over a million people and his videos went viral on social media.
Since then, he has played before hundreds of thousands of people at events like the Medusa festival in Spain and Christ the Redeemer in Brazil, as well as touring Latin America, which has generated enormous interest on social media and in the world press.
