(Sightseers’ Delight) — Pope Leo XIV welcomed legendary American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan to the Vatican on Wednesday, Nov. 4, meeting the Nobel Prize-winning musician ahead of his scheduled concert in Rome.
The meeting brought together two figures with an unusual connection. Pope Leo previously quoted Dylan’s lyrics in a discussion of nuclear disarmament, while Dylan performed before Pope John Paul II nearly three decades ago.
Dylan, 85, met briefly with the pope at the Apostolic Palace, where the two exchanged greetings and gifts. Pope Leo presented Dylan with a rosary, while the musician gave the pontiff a copy of his autobiography, Chronicles: Volume One.
Dylan, dressed in a black hooded sweatshirt, is touring Italy as part of his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour, with a performance scheduled Thursday, Nov. 5, at Rome’s Palazzo dello Sport.
The connection: In July, Pope Leo quoted Dylan’s 1963 anti-nuclear protest song “Go Away You Bomb” in the preface to Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift, a book published by the Vatican Publishing House.
The song, written during the Cold War, was never officially recorded or released on an album. Its original manuscript resurfaced in 2013.
A little history: Dylan previously met Pope John Paul II in 1997 after performing at the National Eucharistic Congress in Bologna before approximately 300,000 people.
During that appearance, Dylan performed several songs, including “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” before greeting the pope.
John Paul II subsequently referenced Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind” during his address, using the song’s question about life’s journey to deliver a religious message.
The bottom line: Nearly 30 years after his first papal encounter, Dylan returned to the Vatican for another meeting, this time with a pontiff who had already drawn on his songwriting to address the threat of nuclear weapons.
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