Bob Dylan showed up to the Vatican in a black hoodie on Wednesday, and Pope Leo XIV welcomed him anyway. The two shared greetings and a few lighthearted remarks, according to Vatican News, before exchanging gifts. Dylan offered a copy of his memoir, Chronicles: Volume One. Pope Leo handed back a rosary. Not the gift swap anyone had on their bingo card this week, but a good one.
The meeting carries extra weight because of what came before it. A few months ago, Pope Leo quoted lyrics from“Go Away You Bomb,”an unreleased Dylan song recorded in 1963. The pontiff used the lyrics in a warning about global rearmament and nuclear weapons. So the meeting wasn’t a random photo op; it was a follow-up between a songwriter and a pope who clearly studied the deep cuts.
For Dylan, this is papal meeting number two. He performed for John Paul II in 1997, and twenty-nine years later he’s back, still doing his own thing, wardrobe included. What would your memoir be called, and what would you trade for a rosary?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.