Bob Dylan meets Pope Leo XIV
The gist
Pope Leo XIV received Bob Dylan privately at the Apostolic Palace, exchanging a rosary and Dylan's autobiography.
The meeting follows Leo quoting Dylan's 1963 anti-nuclear song in his peace book.
How it unfolded
- 1963Dylan wrote the unpublished anti-nuclear song "Go Away You Bomb" for Izzy Young of the Greenwich Village Folklore Center.
- 1997Dylan performed songs including "Blowin' in the Wind" and "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" at a church event in Bologna, Italy, attended by Pope John Paul II.
- Jul 21, 2026Pope Leo XIV published his first anthology on peace and disarmament, "Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift", quoting Dylan's "Go Away You Bomb".