A festival of Catholic music drew more than 40,000 attendees to the Brazilian city of Santa Bábara d’Oeste, during which demand for Confession proved too much for the priests in attendance.
The city of 180,000 inhabitants is located about 85 miles away from São Paulo, Brazil’s major economic hub. The Summer Night festival on 17 May was billed as Brazil’s “largest Catholic vigil” and featured 17 singers, bands and DJs on two simultaneous stages between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning.
A Mass was celebrated during the festival, and at least 40 priests took turns to hear confessions all the way through the festival until 6 a.m. the next day. The Diocese of Piracicaba, which is behind the music event, confirmed that the demand for confessions was too large and that many people had to leave without managing to confess.
