Christian World | Pope Leo XIV received American singer-songwriter and Nobel literature laureate Bob Dylan at the Vatican's Apostolic Palace on Wednesday, exchanging gifts

ACW | November 4, 2026 — Pope Leo XIV received Bob Dylan, the American singer-songwriter and Nobel literature laureate, at the Vatican's Apostolic Palace on Wednesday afternoon, Vatican News reported.

Dylan, 85, whose birth name is Robert Allen Zimmerman, is touring Italy with a stop in Rome, the Vatican's news service said.

The meeting was brief, with greetings and a few lighthearted exchanges, according to Vatican News. The pope gave Dylan a rosary, and Dylan gave the pope a copy of his memoir, "Chronicles: Volume One."

Background: In July 2026, Pope Leo cited Dylan's 1963 song "Go Away You Bomb" in his preface to "Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift," a book published by the Vatican Publishing House (LEV), Vatican News reported.

Why it matters: The pope drew on the protest song in that preface to warn against global rearmament and nuclear weapons, according to Vatican News.

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Source: Vatican News — Pope Leo receives Bob Dylan at the Vatican

Photo: Vatican Media