The official theme song for World Youth Day 2027 was unveiled on August 3, exactly one year before the celebration opens in Seoul, South Korea.

The song, Confidente, Ego Vici Mundum, was selected from 434 entries submitted to an international competition, according to Vatican News. Its title, which translates as “Take courage, I have overcome the world”, is taken from the Gospel of John and also serves as the theme of the event.

Confidente, Ego Vici Mundum was composed by the Korean musician Francis Jiyoon Kim. In February, Kim was named one of five finalists in the competition and was the only Korean among them. Nearly 300 entries were submitted from outside South Korea, Vatican News reported.

After Kim’s composition was selected, it received approval from the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life.

Like many previous World Youth Day anthems, Confidente, Ego Vici Mundum features multiple languages. The song includes lyrics in Korean, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian.

Two official versions have been released on the World Youth Day Seoul 2027 YouTube channel: a “Classic version” and a “Pop version”. The classical arrangement is accompanied by orchestra and choir, while the pop version has a faster tempo and is slightly shorter.

The accompanying music videos feature scenes from Seoul, offering pilgrims what organisers described as “a first glimpse of what awaits participants next summer”.

World Youth Day 2027 will take place from August 3 to 8. It will be only the second World Youth Day to be held in Asia and the first to take place in a country where Christians are a minority. Catholics account for around 12 per cent of South Korea’s population, while roughly half of South Koreans identify as having no religion.

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