Music legend Bob Dylan met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican in Rome, presenting the pontiff with a copy of his autobiography, Chronicles: Volume One. The private meeting took place ahead of Dylan’s Rough and Rowdy Ways concert.
Legendary American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican during a private audience on Wednesday, November 4, and presented the pontiff with a copy of his autobiography, Chronicles: Volume One. The meeting took place at the Apostolic Palace in Rome while the 85-year-old music icon was visiting the Italian capital for his ongoing Rough and Rowdy Ways tour.
The brief meeting brought together two prominent figures from music and religious life. According to Vatican News, the encounter involved greetings and a few lighthearted exchanges. Pope Leo XIV presented Dylan with a rosary, while the singer gifted the pontiff a copy of his autobiography.
Photographs released by Vatican Media showed the two exchanging greetings and posing together. Pope Leo appeared in his traditional white papal attire, while Dylan wore a black hooded sweatshirt, creating a striking contrast in their appearance.
The meeting was reportedly arranged with the assistance of Father Antonio Spadaro, a Vatican official who had also helped organise the Pope’s earlier encounter with American singer-songwriter Patti Smith.
Following the meeting, Spadaro shared a photograph on social media and described the experience as an emotional and historic occasion. He also mentioned that Carlo Feltrinelli and Susan Pullman were present during the visit, alongside Andrea Monda.
The encounter also highlighted the connection between Dylan’s musical work and Pope Leo’s interest in messages of peace and disarmament. Earlier in 2026, the Pope referenced Dylan’s unreleased anti-nuclear composition, Go Away You Bomb, in the preface to a book titled Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift.
The song was written in 1963 during the Cold War, when international tensions and fears of nuclear conflict were widespread. Although it was never officially recorded or released as an album track, its original lyrics were discovered in 2013 and subsequently attracted public attention.
Pope Leo referred to the composition while expressing concerns about the global arms race and the dangers associated with nuclear weapons. His reference brought renewed attention to Dylan’s lesser-known work and demonstrated the continuing relevance of the singer’s anti-war themes.
Dylan is currently touring Italy as part of his Rough and Rowdy Ways concert series. Following his visit to the Vatican, he was scheduled to perform at the Palazzo dello Sport in Rome on Thursday, November 5. The Italian tour also includes performances in Milan and Bologna.
The latest Vatican meeting is not the first time Dylan has met a leader of the Catholic Church. In 1997, he was invited to perform before Pope John Paul II and an estimated 300,000 young people during the 23rd National Eucharistic Congress in Bologna, Italy.
During that historic event, Dylan performed several of his well-known songs, including Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door. Pope John Paul II also referred to Dylan’s famous song Blowin’ in the Wind during his address to the gathering.
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Dylan, who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016 for his contribution to the American song tradition, has remained one of the most influential figures in modern music and songwriting.
His latest meeting with Pope Leo XIV has attracted international attention, bringing together music, literature, spirituality and the shared message of peace. The exchange of gifts and the Pope’s earlier reference to Dylan’s anti-war composition have further highlighted the cultural significance of the encounter.
