Paraguayan song pays tribute to Pope Francis, goes viral

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay, July 2 (UPI) -- A Paraguayan church group song dedicated to Pope Francis has gone viral.

Entitled "Gracias, santo padre" ("Thank you, sacred father"), the song won a contest hosted by the Paraguayan Episcopal Conference that featured 85 other tunes seeking to be turned into hymns.

The winning song will accompany ceremonial proceedings during the pope's visit to the country on July 10 through 12.

The song has received major airplay on Paraguayan radio stations and went viral in the country through social media.

Some parts of the song, originally published on Youtube in May, are sung in guaraní, a Paraguayan indigenous language. Additionally, many of the instruments played in the song are native to the country.

Nine musicians from different branches of Catholic music joined to form the "Nazarenos" and record the tune. The group's goal was to express Paraguayan sentiment about the pope's forthcoming visit and reflect the Pope Francis' teachings and wisdom.

Musican Cristian Arzamendia created the song, which was then refined by the group's members before recording it.