By Basant El-Faramawy
Pope Leo XIV will hold a private audience on Saturday for basketball teams from Villanova University and the University of Notre Dame, along with thousands of American fans traveling to Rome for the college basketball season opener.
Audience at Paul VI Hall
About 7,000 people are expected in the Paul VI audience hall inside the Vatican. The event precedes a doubleheader on Sunday at the 11,000-seat Palazzo dello Sport, located about a half-hour drive from the Vatican.
Eternal City Tip-Off Honors First American Pope
The games, dubbed the Eternal City Tip-Off, were created to honor the first American pope. Leo XIV graduated from Villanova in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and was born in Chicago, near Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.
Pope's Views on Sport
Like his predecessors, Pope Leo XIV has praised sport for physical and spiritual development while warning against a win-at-all-cost mentality that leads to doping, match-fixing and corruption.
Pre-Game Mass and Papal Remarks
Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson Perez will celebrate a private Mass for fans in St. Peter’s Basilica before the audience. During a recent trip to France, the pope joked that 90% of attendees would be Villanova supporters, saying “the voice of the people of God will be very strong on the Villanova side.”
Pope's Sports Background
Leo XIV is an avid tennis player, a Chicago White Sox fan, and follows basketball. Villanova’s longtime team chaplain, Rev. Rob Hagan, described him as a “true, blue Villanovan” who used to attend games at the Palestra in Philadelphia.
Games Coincide with All Saints' Day
Sunday’s doubleheader falls on All Saints' Day, a major Catholic holiday.
