Patti Smith meets Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican: two Chicago natives, a crucifix and a joke about English

Rock singer, poet and activist Patti Smith met Pope Leo XIV during a private audience at the Apostolic Palace on Friday 31 July. Photographs released by Vatican Media and on social channels showed Smith in a black blazer, dark jeans and boots, her grey hair in trademark braids, a crucifix at her neck. On the threshold of the library the pontiff moved to put her at ease: "Parli inglese anche tu, non è vero?" ("You speak English too, don't you?"). Smith laughed and replied softly, "Of course, hi!" Those present said she appeared "giddy" and almost speechless.

Two lives intersecting

Both Smith and the pope were born in Chicago, a biographical detail that ran through coverage of the day. The Rev. Antonio Spadaro, under-secretary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education and Smith's escort, called them "two Americans, two Chicagoans, two towering figures who are voices of hope for a divided world." The private conversation was not disclosed in detail, but Spadaro relayed its character.

The lengthy audience was more like a conversation between two people discovering they were old friends, sharing memories made of words and music, dreams, visions and hopes of yesterday and today.

A thread with the Vatican

Smith, who turns 80 in December, is not Catholic but has maintained a close relationship with the Holy See since the pontificate of Francis. She first met Francis at a general audience in St Peter's Square on 10 April 2013, soon after his election, and performed at the Vatican Christmas concert in 2014. After Francis died in April 2025, she posted a poem comparing him to a dandelion that was "humble yet strong." Earlier this year, on 8 May, the anniversary of Leo XIV's election, she performed "Sonic Prayer" with the Soundwalk Collective at the opening of the Holy See Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, inside the Church of the Scalzi.

Art, faith and social witness

Rai news noted that Smith has long been engaged on peace, human rights and social justice, while Il Fatto Quotidiano framed the meeting as a convergence of art, faith and civil commitment. Smith's public appreciation of the papal message is well documented: she has spoken warmly of Francis's "gentle, open, and steadfast sense of humanity." Her 1975 debut album "Horses" is regarded as a landmark fusion of Beat poetry and New York punk, and she won the National Book Award for her memoir "Just Kids."

A cultural bridge

Friday's audience was Pope Leo's second high-profile encounter with a music star this week. On Wednesday the pontiff attended a concert in his honour by tenor Andrea Bocelli. Spadaro's posts on X underlined the informal spirit of the Smith meeting, framing it as another chapter in an ongoing dialogue between the Vatican and contemporary culture that has spanned three pontificates, from Benedict XVI onward.