Pope Leo XIV hosted Bob Dylan at the Apostolic Palace in Rome on Wednesday during the Rome stop of the singer-songwriter's Italian tour. The brief meeting, according to Vatican News, included an exchange of gifts: the Pope presented Dylan with a rosary, and Dylan gave the Pope a copy of his autobiography, Chronicles: Volume One.
Dylan, 85, wore a nearly all-black outfit, including a pulled up hoodie, gloves and umbrella, in stark contrast with the all-white vestments of the Chicago-born Pope, who like Dylan hails from the US Midwest. The visit came 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. The quoted line, "I hate you cause yer man-made and man-owned, an' man-handled," was part of the book's warning against rearmament. The song was written in 1963 during the Cold War but was never recorded. Its typewritten lyrics remained unpublished until 2013, when they were discovered and put up for auction, according to the New York Times.
Wednesday's meeting was Dylan's second with a pope. In 1997, he was invited to perform in front of Pope John Paul II and about 300,000 young people at the 23rd National Eucharistic Congress in Bologna. Dylan played four songs, including Knockin' on Heaven's Door, and reportedly climbed the stage mid-set to greet John Paul with a handshake and exchange a few words. The then-Pope quoted Dylan's hit Blowin' in the Wind in his sermon to the crowd.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The meeting joins two prominent American figures from very different spheres and highlights the Vatican's engagement with popular culture.
- The exchange of gifts points to Dylan's literary standing and to Leo's personal interest in Dylan's work, including a long-unpublished anti-nuclear song.
Background
Bob Dylan, a Nobel laureate in literature, is in Italy as part of his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour. Pope Leo XIV, born in Chicago, has shown a cultural bent, citing Dylan in his own writing. The two men share Midwestern roots, a rare personal link for a papal audience.
Key Perspectives
What to Watch
- Dylan's scheduled concert at the Palazzo dello Sport in Rome on Thursday, one of several Italian dates on his tour.
- Whether renewed attention on the unreleased anti-nuclear song Go Away You Bomb leads to any further public discussion of it.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedPope Leo XIV hosted Bob Dylan at the Apostolic Palace in Rome.BBC News: “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.”
- SupportedThe Pope and Dylan exchanged gifts ahead of Dylan's Rome concert.BBC 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”
- SupportedThe meeting took place on Wednesday during the Rome stop of Dylan's Italian tour.BBC News: “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.”
- SupportedVatican News described the meeting as brief.BBC News: “The meeting between the pair, who both hail from the US Midwest, was brief, according to Vatican News.”
- SupportedThe Pope gave Dylan a rosary.BBC News: “Leo presented the Nobel laureate with a rosary”
- SupportedDylan gave the Pope a copy of his autobiography, Chronicles: Volume One.BBC News: “Dylan gifted Leo a copy of his autobiography, Chronicles: Volume One.”
- SupportedThe quoted line was “I hate you cause yer man-made and man-owned, an' man-handled,”.BBC News: “"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.”
- SupportedDylan was scheduled to perform on Thursday at the Palazzo dello Sport as part of his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour.BBC News: “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.”
- SupportedLeo had previously referenced Dylan's unreleased anti-nuclear song Go Away You Bomb in the preface to Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift.BBC News: “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.”
- SupportedGo Away You Bomb was written in 1963 during the Cold War and was never recorded.BBC News: “The song was written in 1963 amid the Cold War, but was never recorded.”
- SupportedThe song's typewritten lyrics were unpublished until 2013, when they were discovered and put up for auction, according to the New York Times.BBC News: “The typewritten lyrics were unpublished until 2013 when they were discovered and put up for auction, according to the New York Times.”
- SupportedDylan's earlier papal meeting was in 1997, when he was invited to perform before about 300,000 young people at the National Eucharistic Congress in Bologna.BBC News: “In 1997 Dylan was invited to perform in front of Pope John Paul II and about 300,000 young people for the 23rd National Eucharistic Congress in Bologna.”