Pope Leo XIV speaks as he attends the "Canticle of Peace" prayer and fraternity meeting at Borgo Laudato Si' in Castel Gandolfo, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) southwest of Rome, Italy, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)ROME -- Rock legend Patti Smith was giddy and almost at a loss for words when she met Friday with Pope Leo XIV. “Hi,” she said softly as she sat down across from Leo at his desk in the Apostolic Palace. Hi” uttered in the same breathy voice Smith used with Leo on Friday. Spadaro, who joined Smith at Friday’s audience, said the encounter between the two Chicago natives was around 40 minutes long.