Pope Leo XIV has welcomed legendary American musician Bob Dylan to the Vatican, bringing together two influential figures from the worlds of music and religion in an unusual private meeting.

The 85-year-old singer-songwriter met the pontiff at the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City on Wednesday, November 4, during a stop in Rome on his Italian tour.

The brief encounter featured an exchange of gifts. Pope Leo presented Dylan with a rosary, while the musician gave the pontiff a copy of his autobiography, Chronicles: Volume One.

Photographs released by Vatican Media showed the contrast between the two men. The Pope wore his customary white cassock, while Dylan appeared in a black hooded sweatshirt and coat.

According to Vatican News, the pair exchanged greetings and a few light-hearted remarks. Details of their private conversation were not disclosed.

Pope Leo's connection to Bob Dylan's music

The meeting carried particular significance because Pope Leo had previously drawn inspiration from Dylan's songwriting.

In July 2026, the pontiff quoted lyrics from Dylan's unreleased anti-nuclear protest song, Go Away You Bomb, in the preface to a book titled Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift.

The song was written in 1963, during the Cold War, when fears of nuclear conflict were widespread.

Leo used the lyrics to reinforce his warning against nuclear weapons and the growing threat of global rearmament.

One of the lines he quoted read: "I hate you cause yer man-made and man-owned, an' man-handled."

Although the song was never officially recorded, its original typewritten lyrics emerged publicly in 2013.

Dylan, who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016, has built a career spanning more than six decades. His music has frequently explored war, peace, politics, faith and social change.

Dylan's second meeting with a pope

Wednesday's encounter was not Dylan's first meeting with a leader of the Catholic Church.

In 1997, the musician performed before Pope John Paul II during the 23rd National Eucharistic Congress in Bologna, Italy.

The event attracted an estimated 300,000 young people.

Dylan performed several songs, including Knockin' on Heaven's Door, before approaching the papal stage to greet John Paul II.

The late pontiff later referenced Dylan's famous song Blowin' in the Wind during his address to the gathering.

Dylan prepares for Rome performance

The Vatican visit came ahead of Dylan's scheduled performance on Thursday, November 5, at the Palazzo dello Sport in Rome.

The concert forms part of his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour, which also includes performances in other Italian cities, including Milan and Bologna.

The meeting offered a rare public glimpse of the famously private musician, whose work has continued to attract audiences across generations.

For Pope Leo, the encounter also brought a personal connection to an artist whose lyrics he has previously used to make a case for peace.