Patti Smith greeted Pope Leo XIV with the opening words of her 1979 song "Wave" — and he recognised the reference

Patti Smith met Pope Leo XIV in a 40-minute private audience at the Vatican on 31 July 2026. She greeted him with "Hi, hi," the opening of her 1979 song "Wave," which imagines a conversation with Pope John Paul I. Leo XIV recognised the reference and told her, "That was marvellous," Rolling Stone reported.