# Bob Dylan Meets Pope Leo XIV in Private Vatican Audience The 85-year-old Nobel laureate visited the Apostolic Palace during his Italian concert tour. - **Source:** [Open](https://www.open.online) - **Published:** 2026-11-04 - **Topic:** [culture](https://brifing.si/c/culture) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/098c2fa8-77e6-49d7-928c-d50b9896554e ## Historic Vatican Encounter Bob Dylan, the 85-year-old Nobel laureate, held a private audience with Pope Leo XIV at the Apostolic Palace. Accompanied by Father Antonio Spadaro and Andrea Monda, the musician arrived wearing a black hooded sweatshirt. The meeting was described as brief, consisting of casual greetings and conversation while seated at a table. ## Exchange of Symbolic Gifts During the meeting, Pope Leo XIV presented the American singer-songwriter with a rosary as a gesture of goodwill. In return, Dylan gifted the Pontiff a copy of his autobiography, Chronicles - Volume 1. This exchange marked a rare moment of connection between the legendary folk icon and the Catholic Church leadership. ## Shared Anti-Nuclear Stance The meeting follows the Pope's public use of Dylan’s lyrics in July 2026. In the preface to the book Disarmata e disarmante, the Pope quoted lines from the 1963 protest song Go Away You Bomb. The lyrics express a strong condemnation of nuclear weapons, reflecting a shared concern regarding global rearmament. ## Origins of the Lyrics The verses cited by the Pope originate from a manuscript written during the height of the Cold War. The song Go Away You Bomb was never officially recorded or released on any studio album. The original document remained largely unknown to the public until its eventual discovery by researchers in 2013. ## Touring Across Italy Dylan is currently in Italy for his Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour, which includes performances in Rome, Milan, and Bologna. His appearance at the Palazzo dello Sport in Rome is a highlight of this leg. The tour is notable for its strict policy prohibiting audience members from recording with their smartphones. ## Decades of Papal Relations This visit marks Dylan's second major interaction with a Pope. In 1997, he performed for Pope John Paul II at the National Eucharistic Congress in Bologna. During that event, he played three songs, including Knockin' on Heaven's Door, before shaking hands with the Pontiff in front of 300,000 young attendees. ## The 1997 Bologna Precedent At the 1997 event, Pope John Paul II referenced Dylan’s Blowin' in the Wind during his address. The Pope quoted the famous lyrics questioning how many roads a man must walk, providing a theological response by stating there is only one road for humanity, which is the path of Jesus Christ. ## Cultural and Historical Context The meeting underscores the enduring intersection of protest music and religious discourse. By engaging with Dylan’s anti-war writings, the Vatican highlights the relevance of 1960s counter-culture themes in contemporary peace advocacy. This encounter serves as a bridge between Dylan's historical legacy and the current diplomatic priorities of the Holy See. ## Sources covering this story - [Open — Bob Dylan Meets Pope Leone XIV in Private Vatican Audience](https://www.open.online/2026/11/04/bob-dylan-papa-leone-incontro-vaticano/) - [Rai News — Bob Dylan Meets Pope Leo XIV in Historic Vatican Audience](https://www.rainews.it/articoli/2026/11/il-menestrello-e-il-pontefice-lo-storico-abbraccio-tra-bob-dylan-e-papa-leone-xiv-6da08ad8-489e-4506-b542-60331d151788.html) --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._