Pope Leo XIV welcomes Bob Dylan to the Vatican in a brief visit
Leo gave Dylan a rosary, while Dylan presented the pope with a copy of his autobiography, "Chronicles: Volume One."
Vatican City witnessed an unexpected encounter on Wednesday as American singer-songwriter and poet Bob Dylan visited Pope Leo XIV. The brief meeting took place during a pause between Dylan's concert dates in Italy. Pope Leo, known for his spirituality and affinity for St. Augustine, welcomed Dylan with a rosary. In response, Dylan presented the pontiff with a copy of his autobiography, Chronicles: Volume One.
The exchange was documented by Vatican officials, including Rev. Antonio Spadaro and Andrea Monda of the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano. The encounter marked Dylan's second meeting with a pope, following his 1997 performance for Pope John Paul II. In a 2026 book, Leo quoted an unpublished Dylan song from 1963, Go Away You Bomb, in which he criticized man-made weapons.
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