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2w ago

Pope Leo XIV Receives Patti Smith in Private Vatican Audience

The filmed, roughly 40-minute exchange highlights the Vatican’s use of cultural encounters to deepen personal ties with contemporary artists.

VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - JULY 31: (EDITOR NOTE: STRICTLY EDITORIAL USE ONLY - NO MERCHANDISING). Pope Leo XIV meets with American singer, songwriter, poet, and author Patricia Lee Smith also known as Patti Smith during an audience at the Apostolic Palace on July 31, 2026 in Vatican City, Vatican. (Photo by Simone Risoluti - Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
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Pope Leo XIV and Patti Smith are both Chicago natives. (EPA PHOTO)
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Overview

  • The private audience was confirmed by Vatican outlets and took place Friday, July 31, 2026, at the Apostolic Palace with Patti Smith seated across from Pope Leo XIV.
  • The Holy See published an edited video and social posts showing the greeting, light laughter and brief conversation, framing the visit as informal rather than ceremonial.
  • Father Antonio Spadaro, who accompanied Smith, posted video and said the meeting lasted about 40 minutes and felt like a conversation between two old friends.
  • Smith, who inaugurated the Holy See’s pavilion at the Venice Biennale on May 8 and who first met Pope Francis in 2013, appeared visibly moved and wore a crucifix during the audience.
  • The encounter underscores the Dicastery for Culture and Education’s role in institutionalizing ties between the Vatican and contemporary artists and signals continuity in Leo’s cultural outreach.