Nov 5, 11:01 AM
Bob Dylan Meets Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican During Italian Tour
The American singer-songwriter exchanged gifts with the Chicago-born pontiff ahead of his concert in Rome.
American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan met with Pope Leo XIV at the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City on Wednesday. The private audience took place during the Rome stop of the 85-year-old musician's current Italian tour, according to a report by Vatican News.
During the brief encounter, Pope Leo XIV presented the Nobel laureate with a traditional Catholic rosary. In return, Dylan gave the Chicago-born pontiff a copy of his autobiography, titled Chronicles: Volume One. The meeting highlighted a shared regional background, as both figures were raised in the American Midwest.
The visit preceded Dylan's scheduled performance on Thursday evening at the Palazzo dello Sport in Rome, which forms part of his ongoing Rough and Rowdy Ways concert tour across Italy. Pope Leo XIV has previously referenced Dylan's musical output in official publications regarding global security and disarmament. In the preface to the book Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift, the pontiff included lines from an unreleased anti-nuclear piece written by Dylan in 1963.
The song, titled Go Away You Bomb, was composed during the height of the Cold War but was never commercially recorded by the artist. Its typewritten lyrics remained hidden from the public until 2013, when they were uncovered and auctioned, according to reporting by the New York Times. The Pope used the text to warn against international rearmament efforts, highlighting Dylan's historical stance on nuclear escalation.
Wednesday's gathering was the second meeting between the American musician and a Roman Catholic pope. In 1997, Dylan was invited to perform in Bologna for the 23rd National Eucharistic Congress, an event attended by Pope John Paul II and approximately 300,000 young attendees. On that occasion, Dylan performed four songs, including Knockin' on Heaven's Door, and greeted the pontiff mid-set, after which John Paul II referenced the lyrics to Blowin' in the Wind in his sermon.
Dylan will perform at the Palazzo dello Sport on Thursday as part of his Italian appearances. Following the Rome concert, the singer-songwriter is scheduled to continue his broad European tour.
Written by Freya Stensrud freya.stensrud@alpineweekly.com
