Pope Leo XIV Welcomes Bob Dylan for Vatican Audience
WHO:
CNN - Pope Leo XIV is 71 years old and was born in Chicago.
CNN - Pope Leo XIV, whose birth name is Robert Prevost, met Bob Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, at the Vatican.
Vatican News - Dylan is an American singer-songwriter and poet, a Nobel laureate in literature; the article describes him as 85 years old.
CNN - Rev. Antonio Spadaro, a Vatican official known for connecting the Church with wider culture, brokered the meeting. Spadaro had also arranged a meeting between Pope Leo and Patti Smith.
Rolling Stone Music - Pope Leo quoted Dylan’s unpublished song “Go Away You Bomb” in his book *Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift*.
WHAT:
CNN - At their meeting, Pope Leo wore a white cassock; Dylan wore a black coat, black gloves, and a black hoodie.
Vatican News - Dylan’s autumn tour also includes stops in Milan and Bologna.
Vatican News - Dylan removed his cowboy hat, climbed the steps to the papal stage, and exchanged a handshake and a few words with Pope John Paul II in Bologna.
CNN - Pope John Paul II quoted Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind,” saying, “I am the way.”
CNN - Pope Leo and Dylan met in a private audience; the Vatican’s newspaper confirmed the meeting, identifying Dylan as “Mr. Robert Allen Zimmerman.”
Vatican News - The brief meeting included greetings and lighthearted exchanges. Leo gave Dylan a rosary; Dylan gave the pope his autobiography, *Chronicles: Volume One*.
CNN - Spadaro wrote that the encounter had “a real sense of history about it” and that “absolutely anything could happen!”
Vatican News - Leo quoted the line “I hate you cause yer man-made and man-owned, an’ man-handled” from “Go Away You Bomb” as a warning against global rearmament and nuclear weapons.
Vatican News - Dylan’s 1963 protest song was never officially recorded or released on an album; its original manuscript remained unpublished until it was discovered in 2013.
CNN - In 1997, Dylan performed “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” and “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” at an event attended by Pope John Paul II.
Vatican News - Dylan performed at the 23rd National Eucharistic Congress in Bologna before John Paul II and approximately 300,000 young people. The pope quoted “Blowin’ in the Wind” and answered its question about how many roads a man must walk with: “Only one. There is only one road for man, and that is the road of Jesus Christ.”
WHERE:
CNN - The meeting took place in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, the pope’s residence.
Vatican News - Dylan was in Rome for the Italian leg of his “Rough and Rowdy Ways” tour.
WHEN:
Vatican News - Dylan is scheduled to perform at Rome’s Palazzo dello Sport on “Thursday, November 5.”
WHY:
CNN - Pope Leo has criticized the war in Iran and emphasized the Catholic Church’s opposition to nuclear weapons.
Vatican News - Leo used Dylan’s lyrics to warn against global rearmament and the threat of nuclear weapons.
HOW:
CNN - Spadaro arranged the meeting.
Vatican News - The “Rough and Rowdy Ways” tour prohibits smartphone recording.
(UPDATED November 4, 2026 21:08 UTC)
Pope Leo XIV met legendary songwriter Bob Dylan privately at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace. Leo gave Dylan a rosary, while Dylan presented his autobiography during their exchange. The pope cited Dylan’s unpublished antiwar lyrics, warning against rearmament and nuclear weapons.
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(UPDATED November 4, 2026 20:09 UTC)
Pope Leo XIV met Bob Dylan privately at the Vatican, exchanging gifts and greetings. Leo gave Dylan a rosary; Dylan presented his autobiography during their brief conversation. Leo cited Dylan’s antiwar lyrics to warn against rearmament and nuclear weapons.