Bob Dylan comes knockin' on pope's door as Leo welcomes legend to Vatican
Bob Dylan met with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican during his Italian concert tour. The two exchanged gifts, including a rosary and a copy of Dylan's autobiography, and discussed their shared interest in St. Augustine.
Why it matters
The meeting highlights the intersection of high-profile cultural figures and religious leadership, underscoring the Pope's interest in contemporary protest music and literature.
VATICAN CITY — Bob Dylan came knockin' on Pope Leo XIV' s door Wednesday, as the American singer-songwriter and poet visited with the American pope at the Vatican during a break between concert dates in Italy.
The Vatican said the encounter was brief, with Leo giving Dylan a rosary and Dylan presenting the pope with a copy of his autobiography, "Chronicles: Volume One."
Book Reviews 'After the Flood' argues Bob Dylan's late career is just as potent as his early years Leo had quoted from an unpublished protest song Dylan penned in 1963, "Go Away You Bomb," in his 2026 book "Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift."
Leo was warning against the race to rearm and the recourse to nuclear weapons and quoted the lyric, addressed to a hypothetical atomic bomb: "I hate you cause yer man-made and man-owned, an' man-handled."
Also covering this story
6 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
Pope Leo XIV meets Bob Dylan at the Vatican
US singer Bob Dylan meets Pope Leo XIV in Vatican City
Pope Leo hosts Bob Dylan at official residence in Rome
Bob Dylan meets Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican, with music, faith and a rosary gift
Bob Dylan blows in for meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican
Pope Leo receives Bob Dylan at the Vatican
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