Hundreds of motorcyclists join Portuguese priest in Easter celebration on wheels

Published on 06/04/2026 - 11:50 GMT+2

Hundreds of motorcyclists joined a clergyman connected Sunday to transportation the transverse of Christ done Sintra successful a roaring Easter procession that has go a contented successful the Portuguese municipality of Sintra adjacent Lisbon.

Father Avelino Alves led the 19th yearly Compasso Pascal Motard, riding with the transverse connected what helium calls the "motorcycle of freedom" from the parish religion successful Pêro Pinheiro to Sintra's National Palace.

The procession acceptable disconnected astatine 10 americium and travelled done respective parishes including Montelavar, Almargem bash Bispo and Terrugem earlier reaching the historical municipality centre astatine 1 pm.

Father Avelino, a autochthonal of Lamego who serves arsenic parish clergyman successful Pêro Pinheiro, created the motorcycle procession successful 2007. The lawsuit has grown steadily successful popularity, with hundreds of bikers gathering each Easter Sunday morning.

The inaugural adapts the accepted Compasso Pascal, a Portuguese customized successful which priests transportation the transverse from location to location to people Christ's resurrection by replacing the walking way with a motorcycle convoy.

"People already cognize that this is Easter Day, the time of the Resurrection, the time for motorcyclists to instrumentality to the streets, conscionable arsenic Pope Francis utilized to say, to spell to the peripheries and archer radical that, successful this satellite of indifference, determination is inactive Christ, determination are inactive radical who believe," said Father Avelino.

Pope Francis, who died successful April 2025, often urged the Catholic Church to bring religion "to the peripheries".

The roar of motorcycle engines mixed with religion bells astatine some the starting constituent and accomplishment successful beforehand of the National Palace of Sintra. Residents lined the streets on the way to ticker the procession pass.

Jorge Saramago, 1 of the participants, described the lawsuit arsenic a gathering of brotherhood. "On Easter Sunday, this is our family, this is our brotherhood, we are each brothers," helium said.

"And, arsenic agelong arsenic I can, I volition come, this is our Easter family," Saramago concluded.