Pope meets Villanova and Notre Dame basketball teams at the Vatican
Summary
Pope Leo XIV met with the Villanova and Notre Dame basketball teams and about 7,000 U.S. fans at the Vatican on Saturday, ahead of the universities’ season opener in Rome. He said sports can bring people together and urged players and fans to treat rivals as competitors, not enemies.Key Facts
- The Vatican audience took place in the Paul VI Audience Hall on October 31, 2026.
- About 7,000 people attended after a private Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica.
- Villanova and Notre Dame’s men’s and women’s teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader in Rome on Sunday.
- The season opener, called the Eternal City Tip-Off, will take place at the Palazzo dello Sport, an arena with 11,000 seats.
- Leo graduated from Villanova in 1977 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics.
- Leo said sports can promote cooperation, solidarity and peace, and can help people connect despite distance created by technology.
- Notre Dame president Robert Dowd said the event brought both teams and their fans together for a papal audience and season opener.
- Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson Perez celebrated the Mass for traveling fans in St. Peter’s Basilica.
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