Bob Dylan, 85, Meets With Pope Leo XIV in Rare Public Appearance

Bob, meet Bob.

All along the watchtower, eyes were on the Vatican as Pope Leo XIV (born Robert Francis Prevost) crossed paths with Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman).

After all, Dylan has long been known for knock, knock, knockin’ on Heaven’s door, and this time the way opened up for a private meeting between the head of the Catholic church and the celebrated musician on Nov. 4. 

For the occasion, Dylan and Pope Leo’s outfits painted a humorously opposite picture. Where Pope Leo, 71, was a vision in white in a classic cassock, Dylan was dressed in black almost entirely from head to toe, including a jacket he wore with the hood up during the meeting. 

As for what exactly the singer and the pontiff pontificated about, Vatican News reported only that the pair swapped greetings and “a few lighthearted exchanges” during the “brief” meeting. The Pope reportedly gave Dylan a rosary, while the singer gave the Catholic leader a copy of his autobiography, Chronicles: Volume One.