Bob Dylan meets Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, in an unusual encounter between music and faith
VATICAN CITY, November 5, 2026 — In an extraordinary meeting bringing together two internationally recognized figures from very different worlds, legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan met privately with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Wednesday, November 4.
The brief encounter took place inside the Apostolic Palace, where the 85-year-old music icon and the Chicago-born Pontiff exchanged greetings, shared a few lighthearted remarks and presented each other with personal gifts.
We at Ace News Today were curious, so we asked, “how did this unusual meeting come about?”
A Vatican official helped bring the two Bobs together. According to CNN, the meeting was arranged by Reverend Antonio Spadaro, a Vatican official known for building relationships between the Catholic Church and the broader cultural world. Spadaro, who previously helped organize Pope Leo’s meeting with legendary singer Patti Smith, facilitated the introduction between the Pontiff and the celebrated musician.
Following the encounter, Spadaro described the experience on social media as an emotional meeting with a genuine sense of history. The meeting was particularly fitting given that Pope Leo had already demonstrated his appreciation for Dylan’s songwriting.
In July, the Pope quoted lyrics from Dylan’s previously unpublished 1963 protest song, “Go Away You Bomb,” in the preface to a Vatican-published book titled Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift.
The song, written during the height of Cold War nuclear tensions, contains a pointed condemnation of humanity’s creation and control of nuclear weapons.
The Pope cited Dylan’s words: “I hate you cause yer man-made and man-owned, an’ man-handled.”
By invoking the lyrics, Leo reinforced his warnings about global rearmament and the devastating consequences of nuclear warfare.
Interestingly, the song was never officially recorded or released on a Dylan album. Its original handwritten-corrected manuscript surfaced publicly in 2013 after being written for Greenwich Village Folklore Center owner Izzy Young.
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A Rosary for Dylan, an Autobiography for the Pope: The Vatican meeting also included an exchange of gifts.
Pope Leo presented Dylan with a rosary, while the musician gave the pontiff a copy of his autobiography, Chronicles: Volume One.
Dylan, whose birth name is Robert Allen Zimmerman, appeared dressed casually in dark clothing, including a black hooded sweatshirt.
The Vatican described the audience as brief, consisting primarily of greetings and lighthearted exchanges.
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Not Dylan’s First Encounter with a Pope: The meeting marked another chapter in Dylan’s longstanding connection with the Catholic Church and the papacy. In 1997, Dylan performed at the 23rd National Eucharistic Congress in Bologna, Italy, before Pope John Paul II and an estimated 300,000 young people.
Among the songs he performed were “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” and “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.”
Following the performance, Dylan removed his cowboy hat, approached the papal stage and exchanged a handshake and a few words with John Paul II.
The Polish pontiff subsequently referenced the famous opening question from “Blowin’ in the Wind” in his address, offering a distinctly Christian interpretation of the song’s search for meaning and human dignity.
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Dylan Returns to the Concert Stage In Italy: Dylan’s Vatican visit coincides with his current Italian concert tour.
The Nobel Prize-winning songwriter is scheduled to perform Thursday, November 5, at Rome’s Palazzo dello Sport as part of the autumn leg of his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour, which also includes performances in Milan and Bologna. The tour has attracted attention for its unusually strict prohibition on smartphone recording during performances.
While Wednesday’s Vatican encounter was brief, the meeting brought together two influential figures whose public messages have, in different ways, addressed humanity, peace, faith and the consequences of war.
In July, Pope Leo quoted lyrics from Dylan’s previously unpublished 1963 protest song, “Go Away You Bomb,” in the preface to a book published by the Vatican Publishing House, titled “Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift,” which explores the importance of peace and the dangers of nuclear weapons.”
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(Sources: Vatican News, CNN, Rolling Stone)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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