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Archive photo · 12 May 2025Pope Leo XIV Tells Villanova And Notre Dame He Is Neutral On Rome Basketball
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Pope Leo XIV declares neutrality in sports matters for Villanova and Notre Dame. He met the two teams at the Vatican ahead of their Rome opener, about 7,000 present.
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9 outlets told this the same way.
Neutrality, then a hint
Pope Leo XIV told the basketball teams from his alma mater Villanova and fellow Catholic university Notre Dame that in matters of sport, the pontiff is neutral, while he said his former self might disagree.
Pope Leo XIV joked to a whooping, cheering audience of 7,000 people that "Prevost has another opinion, but we won't do that now," and he spoke as the men’s and women’s teams prepared for a doubleheader on Sunday at the 11,000-seat Palazzo dello Sport.
The Vatican audience hall gathering came as Pope Leo XIV was still recovering after lung cancer surgery on Oct. 13, and the event was dubbed the Eternal City Tip-Off.
Pope Leo XIV urged the teams and their families to embrace sports as a way to grow in saintliness, and he said, "No one is born a champion, just as no one is born a saint."
Bridge building message
Pope Leo XIV told the audience that athletics can teach values of cooperation and mutual sharing, saying, "By acting as a concrete means of bringing people together, athletics can teach the values of cooperation and mutual sharing."
Pope Leo XIV also warned against letting sporting rivalries get out of hand, and he said, "In any competition, the members of two teams, even when they have a competitive rivalry, are certainly not enemies."
Rev. Robert Dowd, president of Notre Dame, acknowledged Villanova had something of an edge because it counts the pope as an alumnus, and he called the Rome meeting "amazing."
Villanova’s president, the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, said there was "a little extra pride" in standing beside Pope Leo XIV, while he emphasized that Sunday’s result was secondary to the shared moment in Rome.
What Sunday means
The Villanova and Notre Dame men’s and women’s teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Sunday at the Palazzo dello Sport, about a half-hour drive from the Vatican, as the Eternal City Tip-Off continues.
“The NCAA provided a waiver for Villanova and Notre Dame to play a day before the designated start of the season.”
Pope Leo XIV said the games take place on All Saints' Day and tied the matchup to the church’s teaching that Christians pursue saintliness in every aspect of their lives, including in sports.
The Vatican audience included thousands of U.S. fans and university representatives, and Pope Leo XIV’s remarks came after a special private Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.
The New York Times described how the season opener in Rome was planned around the idea of Villanova opening the college basketball season in Rome near Vatican City, and it said the NCAA provided a waiver for Villanova and Notre Dame to play a day before the designated start of the season.