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Bob Dylan Meets Pope Leo XIV
Developing story first seen 3 hours ago
New details confirm Bob Dylan met Pope Leo XIV in a private audience in Rome on Wednesday, 4 November, during Dylan’s European tour. The brief meeting drew attention because Leo is said to admire Dylan’s work and has quoted one of his anti-nuclear songs.
Leo gave Dylan a rosary, and Dylan presented the Pope with his autobiography, *Chronicles: Volume One*. The song Leo quoted, “Go Away You Bomb”, dates from 1963 and was cited in the preface to his book *Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift*. Dylan had previously met a Pope when he performed for John Paul II in Bologna in 1997.
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In short
- Dylan met Pope Leo XIV privately in Rome.
- Leo gave Dylan a rosary; Dylan gave him his autobiography.
- It was Dylan’s second meeting with a Pope.
How this story developed
- 1 hour ago Bob Dylan met Pope Leo XIV during his European tour stop in Rome, in a brief private audience on Wednesday, 4 November. The meeting brought together the Nobel laureate and a pontiff who is said to admire Dylan’s music.
- 2 hours ago New details confirm Bob Dylan met Pope Leo XIV in a private audience in Rome on Wednesday, 4 November, during Dylan’s European tour. The brief meeting drew attention because Leo is said to admire Dylan’s work and has quoted one of his anti-nuclear songs.
Explained simply
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter whose songs have addressed subjects including war, civil rights and faith. He became a major figure in popular music in the 1960s and has continued to perform and record for decades.
Pope Leo XIV is the head of the Roman Catholic Church. The Pope’s interest in Dylan’s music reflects a wider connection between popular culture and religious life; one of Dylan’s anti-nuclear songs has been cited in Leo’s writing about peace.
Dylan has met a Pope before: in 1997, he performed for John Paul II in Bologna, Italy. Such encounters bring together figures with influence in different spheres, and can draw attention to how music and public life address themes such as war and peace.