Organizers of World Youth Day (WYD) Seoul 2027 will release the event's official theme song on August 3, marking the start of the one-year countdown to the global gathering of young Catholics.
The announcement was made by the Seoul WYD 2027 Local Organizing Committee in a July 30 press release as preparations enter their final phase ahead of the August 3–8, 2027 celebration.
The official hymn, Confidite, Ego Vici Mundum ("Take Courage! I Have Overcome the World"), was selected from 434 submissions and composed by Korean musician Francis Jiyoon Kim. It will premiere on the event's official YouTube channel on August 3.
Organizers said the launch of the hymn signals the beginning of the final year of preparations for the international gathering, expected to attract hundreds of thousands of young pilgrims from around the world.
Also launching on August 3 is the Breath of Life Global Tree-Planting Campaign, organized in partnership with the Laudato Si' Movement. The yearlong initiative invites Catholics worldwide to plant trees as a concrete expression of faith and care for creation in preparation for WYD Seoul 2027.
Registration for pilgrims and volunteers is expected to open in the second half of 2026. Organizers said registration packages will include accommodations, meals, transportation, and insurance.
Archbishop Peter Soon-taick Chung of Seoul, president of the local organizing committee, said South Korea is preparing to welcome young people from across the world.
"We will do everything possible to make WYD Seoul 2027 a celebration of hope and a witness to the hospitality and solidarity of Korea and Seoul," Archbishop Chung said.
He noted that organizers have spent the past three years laying the groundwork for the event and will use the coming year to complete preparations.
Pope Leo XIV is expected to attend, continuing the tradition of papal participation in World Youth Day established by St. John Paul II, who founded the international youth gathering in 1985.
WYD Seoul 2027 will be the first World Youth Day held in a country where Christians are a minority and only the second edition in Asia, following Manila's hosting of the event in 1995.
The launch of the official hymn and the global tree-planting campaign reflects the organizers' twin emphasis on evangelization and care for creation as the Catholic Church prepares for one of its largest international youth gatherings.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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