Politics1 min read

Pope Leo hosts Bob Dylan at official residence in Rome

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

During their brief gathering, Pope Leo XIV presented the 85-year-old songwriter with a rosary, while Dylan gave the pontiff a copy of his autobiography, Chronicles: Volume One. The stop occurred while Dylan was traveling for his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour prior to performing at Rome's Palazzo dello Sport. The pontiff had previously referenced lyrics from Dylan's unrecorded 1963 anti-nuclear song "Go Away You Bomb" in a book preface.

Key points

  • The gathering marks Bob Dylan's second historic meeting with a Roman pontiff during his m…: The gathering marks Bob Dylan's second historic meeting with a Roman pontiff during his musical career.
  • Pope Leo XIV has actively integrated Dylan's Cold War-era peace lyrics into his own writt…: Pope Leo XIV has actively integrated Dylan's Cold War-era peace lyrics into his own written work.
  • The high-profile audience took place as part of the Italian leg of the Rough and Rowdy Wa…: The high-profile audience took place as part of the Italian leg of the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

- Published

Pope Leo XIV hosted Bob Dylan at his official residence, the Apostolic Palace, on Wednesday during the Rome stop on the singer-songwriter's Italian tour.

Dylan, 85, wore a nearly all-black outfit, including a pulled up hoodie, gloves and umbrella, starkly contrasting with the Chicago-born Pope's all-white vestments.

The meeting between the pair, who both hail from the US Midwest, was brief, according to Vatican News.

Leo presented the Nobel laureate with a rosary and Dylan gifted Leo a copy of his autobiography, Chronicles: Volume One.

The visit happened ahead of Dylan's scheduled performance on Thursday at the Palazzo dello Sport, one of several Italian stops on his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour.

Leo has previously referenced Dylan in his own work, quoting Dylan's unreleased anti-nuclear song, Go Away You Bomb, in the preface to a book titled Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift.

"I hate you cause yer man-made and man-owned, an' man-handled," was the line quoted in the book's warning to the world against rearmament.

The song was written in 1963 amid the Cold War, but…

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