Pope Leo XIV receives Bob Dylan in private audience at the Vatican

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Pope Leo XIV, who is 71 years old, met with musician Bob Dylan at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican on Wednesday. The two men, both native to the American Midwest and both named Robert, held a private audience in the pope’s residence. Leo wore his traditional white cassock, while Dylan dressed in a black coat, black gloves, and a black hoodie.

Rev. Antonio Spadaro, a Vatican official, brokered the meeting. Spadaro is recognized for his work connecting the Catholic Church with broader cultural figures. Earlier this year, he arranged a similar meeting between Pope Leo and musician Patti Smith. Spadaro described the encounter on social media, noting the historical weight of the moment. He wrote, “It was hard not to feel the emotion of being part of an encounter that had a real sense of history about it, with the feeling that, at every step through the Apostolic Palace, absolutely anything could happen!”

The pope has a history of engaging with Dylan’s work. In July, Leo published a book-length collection of his addresses and reflections. In the preface to that volume, he quoted an unpublished 1963 Dylan song titled “Go Away You Bomb.” The song was an anti-nuclear protest, a theme that aligns with Leo’s recent criticisms of the war in Iran and his emphasis on the Catholic Church’s opposition to nuclear weapons.

This is not the first time Dylan has intersected with papal leadership. In 1997, Dylan performed at a church event in Bologna, Italy, attended by Pope John Paul II. During that performance, Dylan played songs including “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” and “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall.” Pope John Paul II responded by quoting a line from “Blowin’ in the Wind.” He said, “You asked me: how many roads must a man walk down before you call him a man? I answer you: one! There is only one road of man and it is Christ, who said: ‘I am the way’.”

The Vatican’s official newspaper confirmed the Wednesday meeting. The report identified the guest using Dylan’s birth name, stating that the pope had received Mr. Robert Allen Zimmerman in private audience.