Pope Leo XIV swapped the pulpit for the court, at least for a moment, when he welcomed the basketball teams of the University of Notre Dame and Villanova University to the Vatican ahead of a landmark pair of college games in Rome.
About 7,000 players, coaches, students and fans from the two American Catholic universities packed the Paul VI Audience Hall on Saturday, October 31. Four student-athletes from each school presented the pope with gifts, including commemorative jerseys and basketballs. One jersey carried the name “LEO” and the number “XIV”, and when Villanova handed him a ball, the pontiff gave it a few bounces, to loud applause from the crowd.
The visitors also gave him a prayer for athletes written by the late Fr Theodore Hesburgh, the long-serving former president of Notre Dame.
“Neutral” — with a wink
The audience carried a personal touch. Leo XIV, born Robert Prevost in Chicago, is a Villanova graduate and the first pope from the United States.
He joked that he grew up hearing “Go Irish!” in Chicago, Notre Dame’s heartland, but insisted that as pope he does not take sides. According to the Associated Press, he quipped that the younger Robert Prevost might have felt differently. The crowd took that as a nod to his old school.
Sport and human dignity
Beyond the jokes, the pope used the occasion to set out a Catholic view of sport. He said athletics should serve human dignity, education and the full development of the person, and should help build relationships.
He noted that the games fell on All Saints’ Day, saying it was a reminder that everyone is called to holiness, athletes included. In an age when technology often keeps people apart, he said, sport can bring them together and benefit both body and spirit.
The day began with Mass in St Peter’s Basilica, celebrated by Archbishop Nelson Pérez of Philadelphia with the presidents of both universities, Fr Peter Donohue of Villanova and Fr Robert Dowd of Notre Dame.
Notre Dame wins on the court
The two schools opened their 2026–27 seasons the next day, Sunday, November 1, at Rome’s 11,000-seat Palazzo dello Sport in an event called the Eternal City Tip-Off, created to honour the first American pope.
Despite Villanova fans outnumbering the Irish faithful in the arena, Notre Dame’s men came from behind to win 74-70, ESPN reported. The Irish trailed for most of the second half before Logan Duncomb’s three-pointer with just over a minute left gave them the lead. Brady Koehler, who scored 16 points along with Braeden Smith, sealed the win with free throws in the final seconds. Tyler Perkins led Villanova with 18 points.
Notre Dame also won the women’s game that followed, completing a sweep of the doubleheader, according to the Associated Press.
The pope did not attend the games, but a group of cardinals and Vatican officials was expected in the stands.
A pope who loves sport
Since his election in May 2025, Leo XIV has often shown his love of sport, from cheering on his hometown Chicago White Sox to meeting athletes at the Vatican. The Rome games, broadcast on Fox in the US, gave American college basketball a rare global stage and a papal blessing to go with it.
Sources: EWTN News, Associated Press, ESPN.
