Bob Dylan, the American singer, songwriter, and poet who won the Nobel Prize in Literature, met Pope Leo XIII at the Vatican during his concert tour in Italy. They exchanged gifts after the Pope had previously cited Dylan’s anti-nuclear weapons lyrics written in 1963 in his book.
Bob Dylan, aged 85, met Pope Leo XIII at the Apostolic Palace, the Pope’s official residence in Vatican City, on 4 Nov during a break from his concert tour in Italy.
The Vatican office stated the meeting lasted only a few minutes and was private. Pope Leo XIII presented Dylan with a rosary, while Dylan gave the Pope his autobiography, "Chronicles: Volume One."
Dylan appeared dressed almost entirely in black, wearing a hooded sweatshirt with the hood up and a loosely tied necktie, contrasting visibly with the Pope’s white robes.
Father Antonio Spadaro, the Vatican’s cultural official who accompanied Dylan, and Andrea Monda, editor of the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, were also present at the meeting.
Spadaro revealed that Dylan requested the meeting with the Pope, and they held a brief private conversation. He noted that Pope Leo XIII, born in Chicago, USA, in 1955, grew up familiar with Dylan’s songs.
Additionally, Dylan is well versed in Saint Augustine of Hippo, a significant figure influencing the Pope’s spiritual outlook and the inspiration for the Augustinian order. Dylan wrote the song “I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine,” featured on his 1967 album John Wesley Harding.
Previously, Pope Leo XIII cited Dylan’s 1963 song "Go Away You Bomb," written during the Cold War but never recorded or released at that time. The lyrics were discovered and auctioned in 2013.
The Pope quoted a passage from the song in the foreword to his 2026 book "Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift," warning against arms races and reliance on nuclear weapons. The lyrics say, "I hate you because you were made by man, are man’s property, and are used by man as a tool."
This was Dylan’s second meeting with a pope. He previously performed before Pope John Paul II and hundreds of thousands at the 23rd National Eucharistic Congress in Bologna, Italy, in 1997. Dylan performed four songs, including "Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door," and reportedly greeted the Pope with a handshake during the show. The Pope referenced Dylan’s "Blowin’ in the Wind" in his sermon.
Dylan, born Robert Zimmerman into a Jewish family in Minnesota, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016. He converted to devout Christianity in 1979, which caused some longtime fans to react negatively to his faith-themed songs like "Gotta Serve Somebody" and "Saved."
However, in recent years, Dylan has rarely discussed his religious beliefs openly. In a 2022 interview with The Wall Street Journal, he described himself as devout, reading religious texts, meditating, and praying.
This meeting with the Pope occurred during Dylan’s concert tour in Italy. He had performed in Milan on 2 Nov and was scheduled to play in Rome on 5 Nov at the Palazzo dello Sport as part of the "Rough and Rowdy Ways" tour.
Before meeting the Pope, at his most recent concert, Dylan sang "Tryin’ to Get to Heaven," released in 1997, which includes lyrics about traveling the world and striving to reach heaven before the gates close.
."Source"The Associated Press"BBC