Pope Leo meets Bob Dylan at Apostolic Palace in Rome
The singer met the pontiff during his Italian tour, and the two exchanged gifts during a brief visit. The pope has also quoted an unreleased Dylan song in the preface to a book.
Key points
- Pope Leo XIV hosted Bob Dylan at the Apostolic Palace in Rome on Wednesday.
- The pair exchanged gifts: a rosary from the pope and Dylan's memoir Chronicles: Volume One.
- The visit came before Dylan's scheduled Thursday performance at the Palazzo dello Sport.
- Pope Leo previously quoted Dylan's unreleased anti-nuclear song in a book preface.
- This was the second time Dylan has met a pope.
Pope Leo XIV received Bob Dylan at the Apostolic Palace, the papal residence in Rome, on Wednesday. The meeting took place during the Rome leg of Dylan’s concert tour of Italy, according to BBC News. Vatican News described the conversation as brief.
The two men make a striking pair. Dylan, who is 85, was dressed almost entirely in black, with a hood pulled up, gloves and an umbrella. Leo, who was born in Chicago, wore his usual all-white garments. Both come from the American Midwest.
Gifts and an upcoming concert
Leo gave the Nobel laureate a rosary. In return, the singer presented the pontiff with his memoir, Chronicles: Volume One.
The visit took place a day before Dylan was due on stage at the Palazzo dello Sport in Rome on Thursday. That show is one of several Italian dates on his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour. The sources do not describe any other items exchanged during the visit.
The pope’s earlier reference to Dylan
Leo has quoted Dylan before. The preface of a book called Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift contains a line from Go Away You Bomb, an anti-nuclear song that Dylan wrote in 1963 during the Cold War.
Dylan never recorded the track. Its typewritten lyrics stayed out of sight until 2013, when they were discovered and offered at auction, according to the New York Times.
The lyric serves as a caution about rearmament in the book. It describes the bomb as something made and controlled by people, and the pope uses that idea in his warning to the world.
Dylan’s earlier meeting with a pope
This was not Dylan’s first encounter with a pontiff. In 1997 he was asked to play for Pope John Paul II and roughly 300,000 young people at the 23rd National Eucharistic Congress in Bologna.
His set included four songs, among them Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door. Reports say he walked up to the stage in the middle of the performance to greet John Paul, shaking his hand and exchanging a few words.
During his sermon, the then-pope drew on Blowin’ in the Wind, a Dylan hit, while speaking to the crowd.
Why the visit matters
The visit adds another chapter to contact between Dylan and the Vatican. It also shows how the current pope has returned to Dylan’s music in his writing about peace and nuclear weapons.
The BBC report relies on Vatican News for its account of the meeting, while the history of the 1963 lyrics comes from the New York Times. The sources do not give further details of what the two men discussed.
Frequently asked questions
Where did Pope Leo meet Bob Dylan?
Pope Leo XIV hosted Dylan at the Apostolic Palace, his official residence in Rome. The meeting took place on Wednesday during Dylanu0026#039;s Italian tour.
What gifts did they exchange?
Pope Leo gave Dylan a rosary. Dylan gave the pope a copy of his autobiography, Chronicles: Volume One.
When is Dylanu0026#039;s next concert in Rome?
Dylan was scheduled to perform at the Palazzo dello Sport on Thursday, following the visit.
Sources
This article was written with the help of AI from reports by the outlets listed above. See our Editorial Policy. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
