Pope Leo XIV

Bob Dylan met Pope Leo XIV briefly on 5 Nov in Vatican City, receiving a rosary while gifting the pope his autobiography Chronicles: Volume One. The pope quoted lyrics from Dylan’s unpublished 1963 protest song in his 2026 book Disarmed and Disarming: Peace Is a Gift. Dylan, 85, wore a black hoodie and loose tie during the encounter, which was accompanied by Rev. Antonio Spadaro and editor Andrea Monda. Pope Leo XIV, the first U.S. pope, is 71 years old.

Pope Leo XIV mailed his ballot from Chicago for the 3 Nov United States midterm elections, the Holy See press office said. The Vatican says it is the first known time a pope has voted in a political election. The 71-year-old pontiff, who holds US and Peruvian citizenship, is recovering from lung-cancer surgery performed on 13 Oct. His ballot covers the Illinois governor race, a Senate seat vacated by Dick Durbin, and a House contest. The ballot will travel from Vatican City to Joliet, Illinois, for processing. The pope also met immigration advocates at an ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois, on the same day.

A temporary local ceasefire in the Kherson region town of Oleshky ended at 22:59 local time on Sunday, after hundreds of residents were evacuated. Two thirds of those who left headed to Ukrainian-controlled areas, travelling by bus to Anapa and then by air via Gomel in Belarus. The truce was brokered with involvement from former U.S. First Lady Melania Trump and Pope Leo. Ukrainian officials said around 1,700 people remained in the town, while the exact number of evacuees has not been confirmed by either side.