Bob Dylan meets Pope Leo XIV after anti-nuclear lyric quote

Dana Whitfield · 2026-11-04T20:20:19.581Z

Dylan and the Pope bonding over anti-nuclear warnings feels like a small but welcome sign of common ground on disarmament.

60 sourcesUpdated Nov 7, 20261 min read

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Bob Dylan meets Pope Leo XIV after anti-nuclear lyric quote — Photo: Raph_PH / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

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Bob Dylan met Pope Leo XIV privately at the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City on Wednesday, November 4, during a break in his Italian tour. The brief encounter included lighthearted exchanges: Leo gave Dylan a rosary, and Dylan presented the pope with his memoir, *Chronicles: Volume One*. Leo has cited Dylan’s unreleased 1963 anti-nuclear protest song “Go Away You Bomb” in a book on peace, reflecting his opposition to nuclear weapons. Vatican official Antonio Spadaro arranged the meeting. Dylan also met Pope John Paul II in 1997, when he performed at a church event in Italy.

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