Dylan presents Leo with autobiography

Bob Dylan met privately with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Wednesday. The encounter took place between the singer's concert dates in Italy, specifically following his performance in Milan on Monday and ahead of a scheduled show in Rome on Thursday. Vatican officials described the interaction as brief, consisting of greetings and a few lighthearted exchanges. During the meeting, Leo presented Dylan with a rosary, while the 84-year-old artist handed the pope a copy of his autobiography, 'Chronicles: Volume One.'

Dylan, who wore a black hooded sweatshirt and a loose tie, was accompanied by Rev. Antonio Spadaro, a Vatican culture ministry official. Spadaro stated that Dylan had expressed a desire to speak with Leo, leading to the private meeting. The timing of the visit coincided with Dylan's recent musical output. Prior to the meeting, the singer performed his 1997 track 'Tryin’ to Get to Heaven' at a concert. The song includes the lyric, 'I’ve been all around the world, boys/Now I’m trying to get to heaven before they close the door.'

This is not the first time Dylan has intersected with papal leadership. In 1997, he performed at the 23rd National Eucharistic Congress in Bologna before a crowd of approximately 300,000 young people. That audience included then-Pope John Paul II. The Polish pontiff addressed the gathering by quoting the lyrics to Dylan's 'Blowin’ in the Wind.' He specifically cited the line, 'You ask me: how many roads must a man walk down / before you can call him a man?' John Paul II responded to the question by declaring, 'Only one. There is only one road for man, and that is the road of Jesus Christ.'

Spadaro, who has covered the relationship between the two figures in print, noted shared intellectual ground. In an essay for the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, he pointed out that Leo, formerly known as Robert Prevost, grew up in Chicago where Dylan's music was familiar. The essay also identified a mutual interest in St. Augustine of Hippo. Augustine's teachings have influenced Leo's spirituality and his religious order. Dylan engaged with the same subject in 1967, writing the song 'I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine' for the album 'John Wesley Harding.'

Leo returned to the Vatican four days after undergoing lung cancer surgery. The meeting with Dylan occurred during this period of recovery and return to public duties. The Vatican News service provided the primary details of the encounter. The Associated Press contributed additional reporting on the event.

Dylan remains in Italy for the remainder of his European schedule. His next appearance is set for Thursday in Rome. The private nature of the meeting means no public address was delivered by either party. The exchange of gifts, the rosary and the book, concluded the formal portion of their time together.