American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Wednesday, November 4, 2026. The Vatican characterized the meeting as a brief encounter, which occurred while Dylan was in Italy for a series of concert dates.
The meeting followed the publication of the Pope’s 2026 book, "Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift," in which he quoted from Dylan’s unpublished 1963 protest song, "Go Away You Bomb." The Pope used the lyrics to address the risks of nuclear rearmament. According to the Rev. Antonio Spadaro, a Vatican culture ministry official who accompanied the singer, the meeting took place because Dylan had expressed a desire to speak with the Pope.
During the private exchange, Pope Leo XIV gave Dylan a rosary, and Dylan presented the Pope with a copy of his autobiography, "Chronicles: Volume One." The two were joined by Spadaro and Andrea Monda, editor of the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano. Dylan, a Nobel Prize winner, appeared in Vatican photos wearing a black hoodie and a loose tie.
The meeting connects a global cultural figure with the head of the Catholic Church. For Dylan, the visit highlights his engagement with religious themes, ranging from his Jewish upbringing in Minnesota to his period as a born-again Christian starting in 1979. In a 2022 interview, Dylan stated he remains a religious person who meditates and prays, though he has become more private about his specific affiliations.
The encounter also serves as a point of cultural diplomacy for the Vatican. Pope Leo XIV, who was born Robert Prevost in Chicago in 1955, grew up with Dylan’s music and shares a connection through St. Augustine of Hippo. Dylan wrote "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine" in 1967, and the saint serves as the inspiration for the Pope’s religious order. This meeting follows a similar audience in July between the Pope and musician Patti Smith.
The event took place between Dylan's Monday performance in Milan and a scheduled concert in Rome on Thursday, November 5, 2026. While the meeting was private and its specific conversational details were not disclosed, it marks Dylan's second recorded encounter with a pontiff, following his 1997 performance for Pope John Paul II in Bologna. No further meetings or joint statements are currently scheduled between the singer and the Holy See.