Editing Patti Smith (section)

=== Religion ===
Smith was raised a [[Jehovah's Witness]] and had a strong religious upbringing and a [[Bible|Biblical]] education. She says she left [[organized religion]] as a teenager because she found it too confining. This experience inspired her lyrics, "Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine", which appear on her cover version of "[[Gloria (Them song)|Gloria]]" by [[Them (band)|Them]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://spinner.aol.com/rockhall/patti-smith-2007-inductee/interview |title=Exclusive Interview with Patti Smith|author=Robertson, Jessica |year=2007|work=[[Spinner (website)|Spinner]]|publisher=[[AOL]]|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070516062624/http://spinner.aol.com/rockhall/patti-smith-2007-inductee/interview|archive-date=May 16, 2007 |url-status= dead |access-date= February 4, 2008}}</ref> She has described having an avid interest in [[Tibetan Buddhism]] around the age of 11 or 12, saying "I fell in love with [[Tibet]] because their essential mission was to keep a continual stream of prayer," but that as an adult she sees clear parallels between different forms of religion and has concluded that [[Dogma|religious dogmas]] are "…man-made laws that you can either decide to abide by or not."<ref name= "Moore" />

In 2014, she was invited  by [[Pope Francis]] to play at Vatican Christmas concert.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/pope-francis-invites-patti-smith-play-vatican-christmas-concert-9860643.html "Pope Francis invites Patti Smith to play at Vatican Christmas concert"], Denham, Jess, ''The Independent'', November 14, 2014. Retrieved July 24, 2021.</ref> "It's a Christmas concert for the people, and it's being televised. I like Pope Francis and I'm happy to sing for him. Anyone who would confine me to a line from 20 years ago is a fool! I had a strong religious upbringing, and the first word on my first LP is Jesus. I did a lot of thinking. I'm not against Jesus, but I was 20 and I wanted to make my own mistakes and I didn't want anyone dying for me. I stand behind that 20-year-old girl, but I have evolved. I'll sing to my enemy! I don't like being pinned down and I'll do what the fuck I want, especially at my age...oh, I hope there's no small children here!" she said.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2014/nov/18/patti-smith-christmas-concert-vatican |title=Patti Smith on singing at the Vatican: 'Anyone who would confine me to an old line is a fool' |last= Goldman|first= Vivien|author-link=Vivien Goldman|newspaper=The Guardian |date= November 18, 2014|access-date= July 24, 2021}}</ref>

In 2021, she performed at the Vatican again, telling ''[[Democracy Now!]]'' that she studied [[Francis of Assisi]] when [[Pope Benedict XVI]] was still the pope. Smith called Francis of Assisi "truly the environmentalist saint" and said that despite not being a Catholic, she had hoped for a pope named Francis.<ref>[https://www.democracynow.org/2015/10/8/people_have_the_power_patti_smith "'People Have the Power': Patti Smith on Pope Francis and Her Performances at the Vatican"], ''Democracy Now!'', October 8, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2021.</ref>