Bob Dylan and Pope Leo XIV exchange gifts in brief Vatican meeting

Bob Dylan met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Wednesday. The encounter was brief, and the two exchanged gifts.

Leo gave Dylan a rosary. Dylan gave Leo a copy of his autobiography, Chronicles: Volume One. The meeting took place while Dylan was in Italy for concert dates.

The pope has quoted Dylan before. His words appear in the 2026 book published in English as Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift. The quotation comes from "Go Away You Bomb", a protest song Dylan wrote in 1963.

According to Euronews, the meeting took place on Wednesday afternoon in the Apostolic Palace and consisted of greetings and a few exchanges. Euronews reported that Father Antonio Spadaro and Andrea Monda, editor of L'Osservatore Romano, accompanied Dylan. It also reported that Spadaro posted two photographs of Dylan next to the pope on social media.

Dylan, 85, is scheduled to perform at the Palazzo dello Sport in Rome on Thursday evening, according to Euronews. The South China Morning Post reported that Leo grew up familiar with Dylan's music.

Euronews reported that the book came from the Vatican publishing house, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, and that Leo's quotation appeared in July. Euronews quoted the lyric as: "I hate you because man made you and man owns you and man handles you". It said the song has never been recorded or officially released on Dylan's albums, and that its original manuscript was found only in 2013.

This was not Dylan's first papal encounter. According to Euronews, he performed three songs before John Paul II at the National Eucharistic Congress in Bologna in 1997, then shook the pope's hand. Euronews said John Paul II quoted "Blowin' in the Wind" in his address to young people at that event.

The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not describe what Dylan and Leo said to each other, or state how long they met. They do not explain who arranged the meeting, or why. They include no direct comment from either man.

What is disputed

The reports differ on Leo's connection to the book. The South China Morning Post describes it as his own 2026 book. Euronews says he quoted Dylan in the preface to a book edited by journalist Alessandro Banfi.

What each side says

• The Vatican: The encounter was brief, with Leo giving Dylan a rosary and Dylan presenting a copy of his autobiography, according to the South China Morning Post.
• Father Antonio Spadaro: "Today I accompanied Bob Dylan to see Pope Leo. Not without the emotion of experiencing a meeting that has the flavour of history and the feeling that, at every step in the Apostolic Palace, anything could have happened!" he wrote on social media, according to Euronews.
• Pope Leo XIV: He used the Dylan lyric to warn against rearmament and the risk of a new nuclear escalation, according to Euronews.
• Bob Dylan: He said in 2001 that he did not consider himself a pacifist and defended the right to self-defence, according to Euronews.

Analysis

The meeting's meaning remains open, because the reports do not explain why it took place. One reading links it to Leo's use of Dylan's lyric in warning against rearmament. Another treats it as a courtesy visit during a concert tour. Neither can be confirmed from the available accounts. Dylan's reported 2001 remarks on pacifism and self-defence also suggest caution before treating the two men's views on peace as identical. A further statement from the Vatican, Dylan or his representatives could clarify the purpose of the visit and what was said.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.