Pope Leo XIV Blesses College Hoops in Rome

Pope Leo XIV received the Villanova and Notre Dame men’s and women’s basketball teams in a private audience at the Vatican on Saturday. The Chicago-born pontiff, born Robert Prevost, met with players, coaches, and families from both Catholic institutions before their season-opening doubleheader on Sunday.

The event, named the Eternal City Tip-Off, was organized to honor the first American pope. During the gathering, Leo addressed the crowd of 7,000 attendees in the Vatican audience hall. He stated that he remains neutral in matters of sport, though he admitted his former self might hold a different opinion. “Prevost has another opinion, but we won’t do that now,” he told the cheering room.

The games will take place at the 11,000-seat Palazzo dello Sport, located about a half-hour drive from the Vatican. The men’s matchup begins at 3:30 p.m. local time and will air on Fox with Bill Raftery as the analyst. The women’s game follows at 6 p.m. local time on FS1, featuring No. 13 Notre Dame as the only ranked team on the card.

Leo underwent lung cancer surgery last month and was not expected to attend the games. However, a group of cardinals and other Vatican officials is planned to be present at the arena. Both schools also brought their team chaplains to Rome for the trip.

This matchup marks the start of the college basketball season for both universities. The doubleheader format brings four teams together in a single evening, combining the traditional rivalry between the two Catholic schools with a unique European setting. The audience provided a formal start to their season abroad before the first tip-off.