Sting, Katy Perry, J Balvin & More Artists Who Met Pope Francis

Pope Francis, who died on Monday (April 21) at 88, will be remembered as one of the most consequential leaders of the Catholic Church.

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Francis was the first Jesuit and Latin American pontiff to inherit the sovereign of the Vatican City. He became head of the Roman Catholic Church in 2013 and, throughout the years until his death, sought to make the institution more inclusive.

Several artists — from Andrea Bocelli to Bono, Katy Perry, J Balvin and Sting — met His Holiness since his papacy began. Balvin met Pope Francis at a summit organized by the Vitae Global Foundation in 2022. “Always vibing high, tolerance and love,” Balvin captioned his Instagram post at the time, which included a video and selfies with Francis.

Meanwhile, Bocelli met the pope after performing with the Voices of Haiti children’s choir in August 2017. The Italian tenor took to social media to honor Francis’ legacy after the news of his death.

“Beyond the profound sorrow of an absence that weighs upon us—and will continue to do so, leaving us all in a more silent solitude—what we feel for him is a gratitude of the deepest and most enduring kind,” Bocelli wrote Monday. “Since its inception, the Andrea Bocelli Foundation has found in Pope Francis a guiding star, illuminating our path. From the very first audience in 2013, we humbly laid before him our intentions, and his words comforted and urged us forward.”

Here are artists and musicians who met with Pope Francis over the years.