The gifts Bob Dylan and Pope Leo exchanged during their Vatican meeting

A rosary and a copy of Bob Dylan's autobiography were exchanged when the singer met Pope Leo at the Vatican.Dylan, 85, presented his host with Chronicles: Volume One, his autobiography, which was first published in 2004, while Leo gave him a rosary.Leo, 71, hosted the American singer-songwriter for a "brief" meeting at his official residence, the Apostolic Palace, on Wednesday as Dylan was in Rome for the Italian leg of his Rough And Rowdy Ways tour. He performed at the Palazzo dello Sport on Thursday.Dylan wore an all-black outfit, which included a hoodie with the hood up, as he was pictured shaking hands with the Pope, who also hails from the U.S. Midwest.The Vatican News described their meeting as “brief”, adding it “consisted of greetings and a few light-hearted exchanges”.Pope Leo meets Bob Dylan at the Vatican (Reuters)Earlier this year, the Pope referenced Dylan in his own work, quoting the singer's unreleased 1963 anti-nuclear song, “Go Away You Bomb”, in the preface of his book, Disarmed And Disarming: Peace Is a Gift.“I hate you cause yer man-made and man-owned, an’ man-handled,” was the line quoted in the book, which acted as a warning to the world against rearmament.Dylan previously met Pope John Paul II in 1997, when he was invited to perform in front of an estimated 300,000 young people for the 23rd National Eucharistic Congress in Bologna.During the performance, Dylan played four songs, including “Knockin' On Heaven's Door”, with the then-Pope quoting his song “Blowin' In The Wind” in his sermon to the crowd.Since being elected to the role in May 2025, Pope Leo has met with a string of famous actors, musicians, directors and cultural figures.They have also included Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Spike Lee, Matthew McConaughey and Naomi Campbell.Dylan wore an all-black outfit, which included a hoodie with the hood up (Reuters)Dylan is set to embark on a UK tour, which will include five dates at the Royal Festival Hall in London in December.He will also perform two dates at Blackpool Opera House, along with gigs at Sheffield's Utilita Arena, Birmingham's BP Pulse Live and Bournemouth's BIC Windsor Hall.The gigs will be phone-free, with attendees being required to put their mobiles in Yondr pouches outside the performance area.Dylan is one of the most acclaimed songwriters of all time, winning 10 Grammys and being nominated on 38 further occasions.The singer has had six UK top 10 singles and nine UK number one albums.He began his career in 1962 with the single “Mixed-Up Confusion”, which failed to chart in the UK and US.But he shot to stardom with a string of successful singles in 1965, including “The Times They Are a-Changin'”, “Subterranean Homesick Blues”, and “Like A Rolling Stone”.