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Today in Catholic news, Patti Smith<\/a> met Pope Leo XIV<\/a> at the Vatican, and boy was she excited. The rocker had a private audience with the pope on Friday morning, which she attended with her friend, the Italian Jesuit priest Antonio Spadaro. She was downright giddy.<\/p>\n Smith and Pope Leo presumably had a lot to talk about, not just because Smith has a longtime passion for the Catholic church, but because they\u2019re both from Chicago. Smith was born in the Windy City before moving to New Jersey, and Leo is famously a lifelong White Sox fan. They could discuss Catholic doctrine and the merits of putting a pickle on a hot dog.<\/p>\n This is not the first time Smith has met a pope. She got to greet Pope Francis in St. Peter\u2019s Square in 2013, and was later invited<\/a> to perform at a Christmas concert at the Vatican the next year. Despite being raised a Jehovah\u2019s Witness, Smith has quite the fondness for Catholicism. When Wim Wenders made a documentary about Francis, she wrote a song<\/a> for it; when Francis died last year, she commemorated his death with a poem<\/a> on Instagram; and just this year, she performed a \u201csonic prayer<\/a>\u201d to inaugurate the Holy See Pavilion at the Venice Biennale.<\/p>\n Even if Smith isn\u2019t technically Catholic, the Catholic community could certainly use a rock star, considering its biggest conversion advocate right now is J.D. Vance<\/a>. Isn\u2019t it nice of Smith to add some cultural cachet to the religion? I\u2019d like to see her do some more Catholic meet and greets \u2014 specifically, a guest spot on that nun podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n Stay in touch.<\/p>\n The latest in style, self, culture, and power in your inbox.<\/p>\n Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice<\/p>\n