Pope Leo meets with rocker Patti Smith in private audience
American singer-songwriter Patti Smith held a private audience with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican. The meeting, facilitated by Jesuit Father Antonio Spardaro, focused on shared cultural and spiritual values between the two Chicago-born figures.
Why it matters
The meeting highlights the ongoing intersection of contemporary arts and religious leadership in Vatican cultural diplomacy.
VATICAN CITY (OSV News) — The American singer-songwriter Patti Smith met with Pope Leo XIV July 31 in a private audience at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace.
Video shared of the meeting shows Smith grinning and giddy as she shakes the hand of Pope Leo, who, like her, was born in Chicago, before the two sat down and exchanged further greetings.
Jesuit Father Antonio Spardaro, former editor-in-chief of the Jesuit biweekly review La Civiltà Cattolica and current undersecretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education, and Smith’s friend, accompanied her in the 40-minute meeting.
Posting on X after the meeting, he wrote , “When that door opened, something happened … a spark was lit — one that came with a few lighthearted moments, but also with a profound sense of emotion and of a shared mission in this challenging world.”
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in