The Pontifical Anthem or Papal Anthem is the official anthem

Anthem

The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music , or more generally, a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a distinct group of people, as in the term "national anthem" or "sports anthem".-Etymology:The word is derived from the Greek via Old English , a word...

 of the Pope

Pope

The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...

, which serves also as the anthem of the Holy See

Holy See

The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...

 and the Vatican City State

Vatican City

Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...

. It is played at solemn occasions of the State and ceremonies in which the Pope or one of his representatives, such as a nuncio

Nuncio

Nuncio is an ecclesiastical diplomatic title, derived from the ancient Latin word, Nuntius, meaning "envoy." This article addresses this title as well as derived similar titles, all within the structure of the Roman Catholic Church...

, is present. When the Vatican's flag is ceremonially raised, only the first eight bars

Bar (music)

In musical notation, a bar is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats of a given duration. Typically, a piece consists of several bars of the same length, and in modern musical notation the number of beats in each bar is specified at the beginning of the score by the top number of a...

 are played.

The music was composed in 1869 by Charles Gounod

Charles Gounod

Charles-François Gounod was a French composer, known for his Ave Maria as well as his operas Faust and Roméo et Juliette.-Biography:...

, for the celebration on April 11, 1869 of Pope Pius IX

Pope Pius IX

Blessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...

's silver jubilee of priestly ordination. The purely instrumental piece in three parts, originally called Marche pontificale (French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 for "Pontifical March"), became extremely popular from its first performance.

On October 16, 1949, Pope Pius XII decided that it would become the papal anthem, replacing Viktorin Hallmayer

Viktorin Hallmayer

Viktorin Hallmayer was an Austrian composer and band conductor, best known as the author of the Marcia Trionfale, the first anthem of the Catholic Pontificate and of the Vatican City State....

's Marcia trionfale

Marcia Trionfale (Hallmayer)

The Marcia trionfale was the second anthem of the Pope and of the Vatican City State, replacing Noi vogliam Dio, Vergine Maria...

(1857), which, being still the papal anthem when the Vatican City State was founded in 1929, had been treated also as the new state's anthem. Gounod's Marche Pontificale was first performed in this new role during a ceremony on Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...

 of 1949, one day before the opening of the Holy Year

Jubilee (Christian)

The concept of the Jubilee is a special year of remission of sins and universal pardon. In the Biblical Book of Leviticus, a Jubilee year is mentioned to occur every fifty years, in which slaves and prisoners would be freed, debts would be forgiven and the mercies of God would be particularly...

 1950. The old anthem too was played for a last time, almost as a token of respect.

At that time, Antonio Allegra

Antonio Allegra

Antonio Allegra was an Italian lyricist. He wrote the words to Inno e Marcia Pontificale, which was adopted in 1949 as the national anthem of the Holy See . The music was by Charles Gounod....

 (1905–1969), who was then one of the organists of St. Peter's Basilica

St. Peter's Basilica

The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter , officially known in Italian as ' and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world...

, wrote Italian

Italian language

Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...

 lyrics for Gounod's music. Other lyrics have been composed for the music in various languages and by different authors. Some of these versions are not directly related to the papacy, e.g. Rudy Villanueva's Cebuano

Cebuano language

Cebuano, referred to by most of its speakers as Bisaya , is an Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines by about 20 million people mostly in the Central Visayas. It is the most widely spoken of the languages within the so-named Bisayan subgroup and is closely related to other Filipino...

 prayer, Yutang Tabonon

Yutang Tabonon

Yutang Tabonon is a Catholic hymn in the Cebuano language, praying for protection of the Filipino people.The music is Charles Gounod's Marche Pontificale ; which is also the music of the Pontifical Anthem, the official anthem of the Pope and of the Holy See. The lyrics were written by Monsignor...

("Beloved Land"), for protection for the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

 nation. In 1991, Raffaello Lavagna of Savona

Savona

Savona is a seaport and comune in the northern Italian region of Liguria, capital of the Province of Savona, in the Riviera di Ponente on the Mediterranean Sea....

 (born 1918) wrote Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 lyrics for a four-voice choir, on an arrangement by Alberico Vitalini.

While the Papal Anthem serves as the official anthem for the Vatican State, the Vatican stresses that it "is not to be understood as a national anthem"; it is a composition whose words and music "speak to the heart of many throughout the world who see in Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

 the See of Peter

Holy See

The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...

."

Italian lyrics by Allegra (1949)

Original Italian
 

Roma immortale di Martiri e di Santi,

Roma immortale accogli i nostri canti:

Gloria nei cieli a Dio nostro Signore,

Pace ai Fedeli, di Cristo nell'amore.
 

A Te veniamo, Angelico Pastore,

In Te vediamo il mite Redentore,

Erede Santo di vera e santa Fede;

Conforto e vanto a chi combatte e crede,
 

Non prevarranno la forza ed il terrore,

Ma regneranno la Verità, l'Amore.

An English translation
 

O Rome immortal of Martyrs and Saints,

O immortal Rome, accept our praises:

Glory in the heavens to God our Lord,

And peace to men who love Christ!
 

To You we come, Angelic Pastor,

In You we see the gentle Redeemer,

The Holy Heir of true and holy Faith;

Comfort and refuge of those who believe and fight.
 

Force and terror will not prevail,

But Truth and Love will reign.

Latin lyrics by Lavagna (1991)

Original Latin
 

CHORUS

O felix Roma – o Roma nobilis:

Sedes es Petri, qui Romae effudit sanguinem,

Petri cui claves datae sunt regni caelorum.

Pontifex, Tu successor es Petri;

Pontifex, Tu magister es tuos confirmans fratres;

Pontifex, Tu qui Servus servorum Dei,

hominumque piscator, pastor es gregis,

ligans caelum et terram.

Pontifex, Tu Christi es Vicarius super terram,

rupes inter fluctus, Tu es pharus in tenebris;

Tu pacis es vindex, Tu es unitatis custos,

vigil libertatis defensor; in Te potestas.

VOX ACUTA, VOX ALTERA AB ACUTA

Tu Pontifex, firma es petra, et super petram

hanc aedificata est Ecclesia Dei.

VOX MEDIA, VOX GRAVIS

Pontifex, Tu Christi es Vicarius super terram,

rupes inter fluctus, Tu es pharus in tenebris;

Tu pacis es vindex, Tu es unitatis custos,

vigil libertatis defensor; in Te potestas.

CHORUS

O felix Roma – O Roma nobilis.

An English translation
 

CHOIR

O happy Rome - O noble Rome

You are the seat of Peter, whose blood was shed in Rome,

Peter, to whom the keys of the kingdom of heaven were given.

Pontiff, You are the successor of Peter;

Pontiff, You are the teacher, you confirm your brethren;

Pontiff, You who are the Servant of the servants of God,

and fisher of men, are the shepherd of the flock,

linking heaven and earth.

Pontiff, You are the vicar of Christ on earth,

a rock amidst the waves, You are a beacon in the darkness;

You are the defender of peace, You are the guardian of unity,

watchful defender of liberty; in You is the authority.

SOPRANOS, ALTOS

Pontiff, you are the unshakable rock, and on this rock

was built the Church of God.

TENORS, BASSES

Pontiff, You are the vicar of Christ on earth,

a rock amidst the waves, You are a beacon in the darkness;

You are the defender of peace, You are the guardian of unity,

watchful defender of liberty; in You is the authority.

CHOIR

O happy Rome - O noble Rome.