The composer of the official theme song for World Youth Day (WYD) Seoul 2027 says he hopes the hymn will help young people around the world encounter Christ and embrace the event's message of hope.
"It's all about God," South Korean musician Francis Jiyoon Kim said after receiving the award for composing the official hymn, Confidite, Ego Vici Mundum ("Take Courage! I Have Overcome the World"), on August 3.
"I hope that young people all over the world can once again encounter the Lord's message, 'Take courage! I have overcome the world,' as they journey toward Seoul," Kim said.
His composition was selected by the Vatican's Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life from 434 submissions, including 294 entries from outside South Korea.
Reflecting on the inspiration behind the song, Kim said his experience at World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal, deeply influenced his work.
"I was deeply moved by the hospitality and dynamism of young people despite their different languages and cultures," he said. "I realized that the most important thing when composing music is to communicate the message of World Youth Day through a song that resonates with young people around the world."
Kim holds a bachelor's degree in Applied Music Composition from the Seoul Institute of the Arts and serves as head of the Sound Department at the South Korean video game developer Pearl Abyss.
To broaden the hymn's appeal, he produced both an orchestral version suitable for liturgical celebrations and a remixed pop version for youth gatherings.
Archbishop Peter Soon-taick Chung of Seoul, president of the WYD Seoul 2027 Local Organizing Committee, expressed hope that the hymn would inspire young Catholics worldwide.
"I hope many young people who will participate in World Youth Day Seoul 2027 will remember that we are believers who shine in the world and illuminate one another's paths, just like the lyrics of the theme song," Archbishop Chung said.
World Youth Day Seoul 2027 will be held from August 3 to 8 next year, marking only the second time the global Catholic youth gathering will take place in Asia, following Manila, Philippines, in 1995.
Pilgrim registration is scheduled to open on October 26. Organizers said about 230 parishes across the Archdiocese of Seoul are recruiting and preparing host families to welcome pilgrims from around the world.
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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