# Patti Smith Meets Pope Leo XIV: ‘A Moment That Shall Forever Produce a Smile’

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/patti-smith-meets-pope-leo-xiv-a-moment-that-shall-forever-produce-a-smile/
- Published: 2026-08-01T13:32:32+00:00
- Updated: 2026-08-01T14:07:46+00:00
- Original publisher: Rolling Stone
- Original article: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/patti-smith-pope-leo-xiv-vatican-meeting-1235602043/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- Patti Smith held a 40-minute meeting with Pope Leo XIV.
- Their exchange included a reference to Smith’s song “Wave”.
- Smith said she was drawn to the Pope’s humanity.

## Summary

Patti Smith met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican for a 40-minute conversation, following a recent performance in Rome. The meeting brought together two Chicago natives and was presented as a warm exchange centred on music, shared memories and hope amid wider global divisions.

The audience was arranged by Rev. Antonio Spadaro, a friend of Smith’s and an official in the Vatican’s culture ministry. Smith greeted the Pope with a reference to her 1979 song “Wave”, which imagines speaking with Pope John Paul I; Leo recognised it immediately. Although Smith is not Catholic, she said she admired the Pope’s “gentle, open, and steadfast” humanity; she had previously met Pope Francis in 2013 and performed for him the following year.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.