Pope Leo Welcomes Villanova, Notre Dame Teams at Vatican, Stays Neutral

WHO:

ABC News - Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Prevost, welcomed the Villanova and Notre Dame men’s and women’s basketball teams.

ABC News - Leo graduated from Villanova in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics. Villanova is an Augustinian school near Philadelphia.

ABC News - Notre Dame President Rev. Robert Dowd, Villanova President Rev. Peter M. Donohue, former Villanova coach Jay Wright, Villanova women’s coach Denise Dillon, and Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson Perez were among the people named in the article.

ABC News - About 7,000 players, coaches, fans, and family members from the two schools attended the Vatican audience.

WHAT:

ABC News - Leo said the pope was neutral in sports, then joked, “Prevost has another opinion, but we won’t do that now,” drawing laughter.

ABC News - Leo said he grew up hearing Notre Dame’s “Go Irish” chant in Chicago, but noted, “Prevost graduated from Villanova.” He said, “So the pope doesn’t take sides.”

ABC News - The Villanova women’s team presented Leo with a golden basketball, which he dribbled. Notre Dame players presented him with a jersey and another golden ball; he posed with them and their “Pope Leo, Play like a champion today” banner. Leo also made Villanova’s “V” gesture as the crowd chanted, “Let’s Go 'Nova.”

ABC News - Leo urged the teams and their families to use sports to grow in saintliness, saying, “No one is born a champion, just as no one is born a saint.” He cautioned that rivals are “certainly not enemies” and hoped fans would get to know one another.

ABC News - Leo described sport as a “school of fraternity” and warned that win-at-all-cost attitudes have contributed to doping, match-fixing, and other corruption.

ABC News - Wright said the Rome trip and meeting the pope was “bigger than the game.” Donohue called the audience the trip’s “true highlight.” Dowd said, “The pope is a pope for all of us.”

CBS News World - The teams were in Rome for the U.S. college basketball season opener, dubbed the Eternal City Tip-Off and created to honor the U.S.-born pope.

WHERE:

ABC News - Leo received the teams in the Vatican audience hall. The teams were in Rome; their games were set for the Palazzo dello Sport, about a half-hour drive from the Vatican.

ABC News - Notre Dame is in South Bend, Indiana; Leo was born in Chicago.

ABC News - Perez celebrated a private Mass for traveling fans in St. Peter’s Basilica.

WHEN:

ABC News - The teams’ doubleheader was scheduled for Sunday, on All Saints’ Day.

ABC News - Leo’s audience appointment had been uncertain after lung cancer surgery on Oct. 13; the article said he was recovering.

WHY:

ABC News - The Eternal City Tip-Off was organized to honor Leo, described as the first American pope.

HOW:

ABC News - Leo switched from Italian to English after mistakenly beginning in Italian and spoke off the cuff.

(UPDATED October 31, 2026 17:58 UTC)

Pope Leo welcomed Villanova and Notre Dame basketball teams to the Vatican during their Rome trip. The Villanova graduate joked about staying neutral, though he briefly flashed his school spirit. He urged rivals to build fraternity, while warning against doping and win-at-all-cost attitudes.