Was it Blowin' in the Wind outside? Bob Dylan meets the Pope with his hood up (and even keeps his gloves on)

Published: 13:14 EDT, 4 November 2026 | Updated: 13:14 EDT, 4 November 2026 Bob Dylan kept his hood up and even left his gloves on as he met Pope Leo at the Vatican on Wednesday.The legendary musician, whose career has spanned more than six decades, was granted a private audience with the pontiff at the ornate Apostolic Palace.While the 71-year-old head of the Catholic Church wore his customary white cassock, Dylan sported a black coat, black gloves and a black hooded sweatshirt, carrying a matching black umbrella.Rev. Antonio Spadaro, a Vatican official and Jesuit known for building relationships between the Church and figures in the entertainment industry, said on Instagram that he had helped arrange the meeting.'It was hard not to feel the emotion of being part of an encounter that had a real sense of history about it, with the feeling that, at every step through the Apostolic Palace, absolutely anything could happen!' he said.The Vatican's newspaper said Leo had 'received in private audience Mr Robert Allen Zimmerman', using the name the musician was given at birth in Duluth, Minnesota.Leo, who is originally from Chicago, is known to be a Dylan fan.He quoted the singer's 1963 anti-nuclear protest song Go Away You Bomb in the preface to a book released in July. Bob Dylan kept his hood up and even left his gloves on as he met Pope Leo at the Vatican on Wednesday The legendary musician, who has spent more than six decades knockin' on heaven's door, was granted a private audience with the pontiff at the ornate Apostolic Palace But while the 71-year-old leader of ⁠the Catholic Church wore his customary white cassock Pope Leo meets Bob Dylan at the Vatican, November 4, 2026The meeting came weeks after Pope Leo was diagnosed with lung cancer following surgery to remove a lesion from his chest.The Pontiff, 71, went in for a 90-minute surgery on October 13 after the lesion was found.The Vatican confirmed that the nodule had been taken out, but tests found cancerous cells. The examination revealed a diagnosis of adenocarcinoma, a common form of lung cancer. The Pope had walked into Rome's Gemelli hospital through the main entrance earlier in the day and waved to dozens of well-wishers who had gathered to greet him.While the main cause of lung cancer is smoking, this type of the disease is more common in non-smokers.Leo was in the operating room for around three hours, a spokesman said. He added that the surgery was successful and that there were no complications.