Legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan met Pope Leo XIV at the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City on Wednesday.

The 85-year-old Nobel laureate in literature visited during a stop on his Italian tour. The brief encounter included greetings and lighthearted exchanges between the two men, both originally from the American Midwest.

Pope Leo presented Dylan with a rosary. Dylan gave the pope a copy of his 2004 autobiography, Chronicles: Volume One.

Dylan wore a black hooded sweatshirt for the meeting. The pope appeared in his traditional white vestments.

The visit came ahead of Dylan's performance Thursday evening at Rome's Palazzo dello Sport. That show is part of the autumn leg of his Rough and Rowdy Ways tour, which also includes dates in Milan and Bologna.

Pope Leo had previously referenced Dylan in July. He quoted lyrics from the singer's unreleased 1963 anti-nuclear song "Go Away You Bomb" in the preface to a book on disarmament titled Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift.

This marks the second time Dylan has met a pope. He performed for Pope John Paul II in 1997 at an event in Bologna.

The meeting underscores ongoing cultural connections between prominent American figures and the Vatican leadership.