Patti Smith has met with Pope Leo XIV during a 40-minute private audience at the Vatican.
The punk icon was welcomed to the Apostolic Palace yesterday (July 31), with the Vatican later sharing photographs and footage of the meeting on social media.
Smith was accompanied by her longtime friend Reverend Antonio Spadaro, who serves as the Vatican’s Undersecretary for Culture and Education. He said that Smith was initially almost speechless in the Pope’s presence, but before long the two struck up a rapport.
“When that door opened, something happened,” Spadaro wrote on X. “A spark was lit – one that came with a few lighthearted moments, but also with a profound sense of emotion and of a shared mission in this challenging world.”
“Two Americans, two Chicagoans. Two remarkable figures whose voices speak hope to a divided world: the ‘priestess of rock’, as #PattiSmith is often called, and the Holy Father, #PopeLeoXIV.”
When that door opened, something happened… a spark was lit—one that came with a few lighthearted moments, but also with a profound sense of emotion and of a shared mission in this challenging world.
Two Americans. Two Chicagoans. Two remarkable figures whose voices speak hope to… pic.twitter.com/Ol9bOjr1dQ— Antonio Spadaro (@antoniospadaro) July 31, 2026
He added that their meeting “felt more like a conversation between two people discovering they were old friends” as they shared memories “woven from words and music, dreams, visions and hopes – both from yesterday and for today”.
Smith also shared an image from the meeting on her Instagram, writing: “A moment that shall forever produce a smile.”
Although Smith is not a Catholic, she spoke regularly about her appreciation for Pope Francis, who she was invited to perform for at the Vatican’s Christmas concert in 2014. That booking was criticised by some conservative groups, due to the opening line of her classic track ‘Gloria’: “Jesus died for somebody’s sins but not mine“.
She also shared a poem to mark Pope Francis’ death in April last year. “Farewell dear Pope Francis,” she wrote. “Nature and poetry and the suffering shall miss their champion.”
Elsewhere, Smith released her latest memoir Bread Of Angels last year, in which she revealed how she tracked down the identity of her biological father.
She is also due to appear at CBGB Festival in Brooklyn on September 26, alongside the likes of Morrissey, Interpol and Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter, and will also take part in the Dua Lipa-curated London Literature Festival at the Southbank Centre in October.
