“I thought I was going into an empty room, and opened the door — and he said, ‘Hi,’ and I said ‘Whoa!’ and I hid behind the door,” U.S. musician Patti Smith said on Jimmy Fallon’s late-night show, recounting an unexpected encounter with Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican in late July.
The 79-year-old punk rocker shared the story in an Instagram preview clip ahead of the show’s Friday broadcast, detailing how a simple wrong turn during a Vatican visit led face-to-face with the pontiff, as reported by Hersfelder Zeitung.
An Accidental Vatican Meeting Behind Closed Doors
Smith explained that she was walking from one room to another with a group of people at the Vatican in late July when she mistakenly assumed a chamber was unoccupied. Upon opening the door, she found Pope Leo XIV standing inside, prompting an immediate startle reflex and a quick retreat behind the barrier.
Host Jimmy Fallon reacted with visible surprise, prompting the singer to confirm that the meeting was entirely unplanned. Despite the initial shock, Smith stated that she left the encounter feeling richtig glücklich
(truly happy), describing the pope as someone who is so stark und hat so viel Mitgefühl für die ganze Welt – man verspürt ein Gefühl der Hoffnung
(so strong and has so much compassion for the whole world — you feel a sense of hope), according to reporting by tz.
Baseball Loyalties and Clear Boundaries on Religion
Rather than focusing on theological debate, the conversation between the punk icon and the head of the Catholic Church shifted toward worldly challenges facing young people globally. Smith noted that while she sensed a shared spirituality during the discussion, she perceived keine Religiosität, kein Dogma oder Ähnliches
(no religiosity, no dogma, or anything like that).
The dialogue also touched on their shared roots in Chicago, though sporting allegiances divided them. Smith told the pope that she supports the Chicago Cubs, while Pope Leo XIV backs the Chicago White Sox. Before parting ways following their late-July private audience, Smith delivered a direct message to the pontiff: Ich konvertiere nicht – selbst nicht für Sie
(I am not converting — not even for you).
A Longstanding Relationship with the Holy See
While Smith describes herself as belonging to no specific religious community, her ties to the Vatican span many years. Her previous engagements include performing at the Vatican’s traditional Christmas concert and recording a lengthy Marian prayer for the Holy See’s pavilion at the Venice Biennale. In 2013, she also crossed paths with Pope Francis during a general audience.
Worth a look
