ASIA/SOUTH KOREA - Official hymn for Seoul WYD 2027 unveiled: "Take courage; I have overcome the world"

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Five “Patron Saints” for World Youth Day “Seoul 2027”

Seoul (Fides News Agency) – Martyrs and places of martyrdom take center stage in the videos released today to introduce the official hymn for the next World Youth Day (WYD), scheduled to take place in Seoul from August 3 to 8, 2027. The hymn bears the Latin title: "Confidite, Ego Vici Mundum" ("Take courage; I have overcome the world").

Presented in two musical arrangements, the hymn is performed in six languages, with a chorus sung in Latin.

The lyrics "You are the light of the world; light one another's path," are followed by the repeated response, "Thy will be done," sung in the different languages.

The first version, performed by a symphony orchestra, blends traditional Korean melodies featuring the Gayageum instruments ( 가야금), Haegeum (해금), Sogeum (소금). The second adopts a contemporary K-pop-inspired style, incorporating elements of pungmul music with the taepyeongso (태평소) alongside traditional percussion instruments including the janggu (장구), the buk (북), the jing (징), and the kkwaenggwari (꽹과리).

Accompanied by WYD volunteers, the music video follows the path of Korea's Catholic martyrs through some of the country's most significant places of witness: the Seosomun Martyrs' Shrine, the Saenamteo Shrine, and the site of the torture of St. Andrew Kim Taegon (1821–1846), the first Korean priest and martyr, who is one of the patron saints of Seoul WYD 2027. The video also features Gahoe-dong Church, where the first Mass was celebrated in 1795 (see Fides, 22/7/2025), and Yakhyeon Church, the first Western-style Catholic church in the capital.
It also showcases panoramic views of Gwanghwamun, Bukchon Hanok (한옥) Village, with its traditional Korean houses along the Han River.

The "long march" of World Youth Day

During the Holy Year of the Redemption in 1984, Pope John Paul II invited young people to Rome for "their" Jubilee. Then in 1985, during what the UN had proclaimed "International Youth Year," hundreds of thousands of young people again gathered around the Pope on Palm Sunday (March 31). These two events gave rise to World Youth Day, which thereafter was celebrated annually at the diocesan level, usually on Palm Sunday.

The international editions have generally been held every two or three years: Rome (1986), Buenos Aires (1987), Santiago de Compostela (1989), Częstochowa (1991), Denver (1993), Manila (1995), which drew a record five million participants, Paris (1997), Rome (2000), Toronto (2002), Cologne (2005), Sydney (2008), Madrid (2011), Rio de Janeiro (2013), Kraków (2016), Panama (2019), and Lisbon (2023). These were followed by the great Jubilee of Youth gathering held in Rome in 2025.

World Youth Day returns to Asia

The choice of a host country for World Youth Day is the result of consultations involving Vatican dicasteries, the interested episcopal Conferences, and the bishops of the candidate diocese.

Addressing young people in Manila on January 15, 1995, during what remains the only previous World Youth Day held in Asia, John Paul II declared: "In the first millennium the Cross was planted in Europe; in the second, in America and Africa; we can pray that in the third Christian millennium there will be a great harvest of faith in Asia."
On that same occasion, through Radio Veritas, the Pope also sent a message of reconciliation to Chinese Catholics.
A group of young Chinese Catholics took part in the Manila gathering alongside their peers from around the world.

The context surrounding the upcoming Asian World Youth Day differs significantly from that of Manila in 1995. South Korea does not face the widespread urban poverty or mass emigration that characterized many parts of Asia at the time. At the same time, Catholics remain a minority within Korean society.
"And now, dear young people of Korea, it is your turn! By carrying the Cross to Asia, you will proclaim Christ's love to everyone. Be courageous!" Pope Francis told Korean youth during the traditional handover of the World Youth Day Cross and the copy of the icon of Mary Salus Populi Romani (see Fides, 25/11/2024).

The Hymns of World Youth Day

Traditionally inspired by each World Youth Day's biblical theme, the official hymns are translated into several languages and intended to be sung by young people across linguistic and cultural boundaries. Throughout the history of World Youth Day, several have achieved widespread popularity.

"The path of truth" was the central theme of "Somos los jóvenes del 2000," the hymn composed for Santiago de Compostela 1989, inspired by the pilgrimage tradition and the figure of St. James. It was followed by "Tell the World of His Love," written for Manila 1995, then "Master and Lord, You have come among us" for Paris 1997. Perhaps the most widely known World Youth Day hymn is "Jesus Christ, you are my life," composed by Maestro Marco Frisina for the Jubilee Year 2000 World Youth Day.
(PR) (Fides News Agency, 3/8/2026)