Patti Smith Reflects on Meeting Pope Leo XIV: ‘A Moment That Will Forever Produce a Smile’

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Rock icon Patti Smith appeared visibly overjoyed and momentarily speechless during her audience on Friday (July 31) with Pope Leo XIV.

“Hi,” she whispered gently as she took a seat across from the pontiff at his desk within the Apostolic Palace.

Reflecting on the memorable gathering afterward on Instagram, she shared a warmer sentiment: she wrote, “This is a moment that shall forever produce a smile.”

Adorned with a crucifix pendant and her signature braided hairstyle, Smith has established a surprisingly prominent presence within Vatican circles, largely facilitated by her ongoing friendship with Father Antonio Spadaro, the undersecretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture.

Though she identifies as non-Catholic, Smith has often expressed a deep admiration for the late Pope Francis, praising his profound, open-hearted, and steadfast compassion for humanity.

Her affinity for the papacy dates back even further, notably to Pope John Paul I. Her 1979 track “Wave” imagines a dialogue with the late pontiff, whose tenure lasted a mere 33 days. The song opens with a soft, breathy “Hi. Hi,” echoing the exact vocal tone she used when greeting Pope Leo XIV.

The pontiff demonstrated an unexpected familiarity with her musical catalog, remarking warmly, “That was marvelous.”

Earlier this year, on May 8—coinciding with the anniversary of Pope Leo’s election—Smith delivered a special performance during the inauguration of the Holy See’s Pavilion at the prestigious Venice Biennale art exhibition.

Father Spadaro, who accompanied the singer to Friday’s private audience, noted that the meeting lasted roughly 40 minutes. In a follow-up text message, he described the encounter as feeling “more like a conversation between two people discovering they were old friends, sharing memories woven from words and music, dreams, visions, and hopes — both from yesterday and for today.”

He added that as the visit drew to a close, Smith simply offered a soft, parting “Bye. Bye.”

Smith previously met Pope Francis in 2013 and performed for him the following year. Following Francis’ passing on April 21, 2025, she memorialized him in a heartfelt social media poem, likening his resilient spirit to an unassuming yet enduring dandelion.

“Nature and poetry and the suffering shall miss their champion,” she wrote at the time.

This marks Pope Leo’s second meeting with a celebrated musical icon within a single week, following a dedicated concert held in his honor by renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli on Wednesday.

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