Pope Leo refuses to pick a side as Villanova and Notre Dame visit the Vatican
Pope Leo XIV refused to pick a side on Saturday, 31 October, as he welcomed about 7,000 basketball players, students and fans from Villanova University and the University of Notre Dame to the Vatican. The two Catholic universities were in Rome for a season-opening doubleheader the next day, and the Pope — himself a Villanova graduate — greeted both teams in the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall.
“Growing up on the south side of Chicago, we oftentimes heard, ‘Go Irish,'” he told the crowd. “But as you all know, Prevost graduated from Villanova. So the Pope doesn’t take sides. Prevost has another opinion, but we won’t do that now.” The joke drew cheers and laughter, and the Pope even dribbled a basketball handed to him by Villanova players.
He reminded the crowd that rival teams “are certainly not enemies”, and described sport as a concrete way of bringing people together — “a medicine for both body and spirit when it is practiced well.” Supporters had earlier attended a special Mass in St Peter’s Basilica, and student-athletes from each school gave the Pope gifts including commemorative basketballs and jerseys.
Why it matters
The weekend is a first for US college basketball: two teams opening their season in Rome the day after an audience with the first American pope, born Robert Prevost. It also showed the lighter side of the pontiff, using sport — and a joke about his own loyalties — to set the tone for a weekend built around faith and basketball.
What happens next
The two schools meet on Sunday, 1 November, at Rome’s Palazzo dello Sport in the Eternal City Tip-Off, which opens the 2026-27 US college basketball season. The men’s game starts at 3:30pm Central European Time (9:30am Eastern Time) and will be shown on Fox, with the women’s game following at 6:00pm on FS1. The event, organised by Fox Sports, On Location and Players Era, was inspired by Leo’s election as the first American pope — and the games fall on the feast of All Saints’ Day.
This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.
Sources
- https://kwsn.com/2026/10/31/pope-leo-tries-to-stay-neutral-as-basketball-rivals-descend-on-vatican/ (Reuters via KWSN, 31 October 2026)
- https://www.ncregister.com/cna/pope-leo-xiv-welcomes-thousands-from-notre-dame-villanova-to-vatican-ahead-of-historic-game (National Catholic Register, 31 October 2026)
