Entertainment · Celebrity · 2 hrs ago
Pope Leo XIV meets Bob Dylan at the Vatican
Pope Leo XIV met Bob Dylan privately at the Vatican on Wednesday while the singer was in Italy for concerts.
The Vatican said they spoke briefly, and Leo gave Dylan a rosary while Dylan gave him his memoir, “Chronicles: Volume One.”
The meeting followed Leo’s use of lyrics from Dylan’s unpublished 1963 protest song “Go Away You Bomb” in a 2026 book.
The song’s lyrics warn against nuclear weapons, a concern Leo raised as he spoke against rearmament.
Dylan, an American singer-songwriter and poet, has also met a pope before: he performed for John Paul II in 1997.
The meeting took place between Dylan’s concerts in Milan and Rome.
Dylan was due to play in Rome on Thursday.
Pope Leo XIV met Bob Dylan at the Vatican on Wednesday, during a break between the singer’s concert dates in Italy.
The Vatican said the brief meeting was private and that Leo gave Dylan a rosary.
Dylan gave Leo a copy of his autobiography, Chronicles: Volume One.
Leo had quoted Dylan’s unpublished 1963 protest song “Go Away You Bomb” in a 2026 book, warning against rearmament and nuclear weapons.
Dylan had previously performed for Pope John Paul II at a 1997 concert in Bologna, Italy.
- Who
- Pope Leo XIV and Bob Dylan.
- What
- They met briefly and exchanged gifts: Leo gave Dylan a rosary, and Dylan gave Leo a copy of his autobiography.
- When
- Wednesday, November 4, 2026.
- Where
- The Vatican.
- Why
- Dylan wanted to speak with Leo, according to Vatican official Antonio Spadaro. The meeting took place during a break between Dylan’s concert dates in Italy.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Dylan wrote the unpublished protest song “Go Away You Bomb.
Dylan performed for Pope John Paul II at a concert in Bologna, Italy.
Leo quoted Dylan’s song in a book while warning against rearmament and nuclear weapons.
Leo and Dylan met briefly at the Vatican and exchanged gifts.
- Meeting
- November 4, 2026
- Location
- Vatican
- Gift from Leo
- A rosary
- Gift from Dylan
- Chronicles: Volume One
- Song quoted by Leo
- Go Away You Bomb,” written in 1963
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What people are saying
Dylan had wanted to speak with Leo
I hate you cause yer man-made and man-owned, an’ man-handled.