Pope Leo dribbles golden basketball and tries to stay neutral as rival US teams descend on Vatican

Pope Leo XIV told basketball teams from his alma mater, Villanova, and fellow Catholic institution Notre Dame on Saturday that the pontiff must remain neutral in sporting matters as both teams gathered in Rome for their season opener.Yet the pope, born Robert Prevost, acknowledged that his former self might hold a different view."Prevost has another opinion, but we won’t do that now," he said to laughs during a whooping, cheering audience of 7,000 people from both schools — players, coaches, fans and their families — in the Vatican audience hall.The squads traveled to Italy for the U.S. college basketball season opener. Villanova and Notre Dame’s men’s and women’s teams will play a doubleheader on Sunday at the 11,000-seat Palazzo dello Sport, located roughly a half-hour drive from the Vatican.Pope Leo poses with a delegation from the Villanova Wildcats basketball team on October 31, 2026 (AFP/Getty)The event, designated the Eternal City Tip-Off, was established to honor the first American pope.The papal audience had been uncertain after the 71-year-old pope underwent lung cancer surgery on Oct. 13 and remains in recovery. However, Leo honored the meeting ahead of Sunday’s opener.Leo graduated in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Villanova, an Augustinian institution near Philadelphia. He was raised in Chicago — not far from Notre Dame, located in South Bend, Indiana.An avid sports enthusiast and tennis player, Leo dribbled a golden basketball presented by the Villanova women’s team. When Notre Dame’s tall athletes gave him a jersey and another golden ball, Leo stepped up onto the podium where his chair sits to gain a few inches (centimeters) beside them.Leo poses with a delegation from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish basketball team (Reuters)He gamely posed for photos with the Fighting Irish while holding a banner reading "Pope Leo, Play like a champion today" — a riff on the famous Notre Dame sign displayed above the stairwell between the locker room and stadium.He gave equal attention to the Wildcats, making the Villanova "V'" gesture with his hand while chants of "Let’s Go 'Nova" echoed through the audience hall.After initially beginning in Italian, Leo switched to his native English to speak off the cuff, recalling how he grew up in Chicago hearing the Notre Dame chant, "Go Irish,"."But as you all know, Prevost graduated from Villanova," Leo said referring to his past self in the third person."So the pope doesn’t take sides," he said to laughs, before revealing that "Prevost has another opinion."Pope Leo receives a basketball as a gift during an audience with delegations from Villanova University and the University of Notre Dame at the Paul VI Audience Hall in the Vatican on October 31, 2026 (AFP/Getty)Addressing the audience in prepared remarks, Leo encouraged the teams and their families to see sports as a vehicle for growth in holiness."No one is born a champion, just as no one is born a saint," Leo said.He cautioned against letting athletic rivalries turn contentious, expressing hope that traveling fans in Rome would take time to connect with one another while cheering, "even passionately.""In any competition, the members of two teams, even when they have a competitive rivalry, are certainly not enemies," he said. "I hope, therefore, that despite the competitive nature of college basketball, there will be opportunities for the players and the fans of both teams to get to know each other in your days here in Rome."He noted that the games land on All Saint’s Day, pointing out that the church calls Christians to pursue saintliness across all areas of life, including sports.From left, Notre Dame's guards Braeden Smith and Logan Imes present Pope Leo XIV with a personalized Notre Dame's jersey and basketball (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)"Our true goal, beyond emerging victorious in any one event, is to win the prize of everlasting life," he said.Like previous popes, Leo has praised athletics for physical and spiritual development, describing sport as a "school of fraternity" that promotes friendship, respect and teamwork. Yet he also warned against a win-at-all-costs mindset, noting it has led to instances of doping, match-fixing and corruption.The Rev. Robert Dowd, president of Notre Dame, acknowledged Villanova might hold an advantage in Sunday’s game given the pope's status as an alumnus. Speaking on Saturday, however, he called the opportunity to bring both programs and their fans together in Rome for a papal audience and opener "amazing.""I know that the pope is a pope for all of us, and so I’m grateful," he said. "I know in a particular way the pope talks about the importance of bridge building, and I’m sure he’ll be a bridge builder when we play each other."Basketball player Jasmine Bascoe along with Villanova University President Peter M. Donohue, present Pope Leo XIV with the basketball (AP)Villanova’s president, the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, noted "a little extra pride" in standing beside Leo given his background, though he emphasized that Sunday’s result was secondary."No matter what happens on the court, this is the true highlight of the trip," he said in his introductory remarks to the the audience. "Tomorrow we will cheer, we will compete, but today we are simply grateful."On Saturday morning, Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson Perez led a private Mass for traveling supporters in St. Peter’s Basilica, asking thousands in attendance to applaud the players. The English-language service was unusual, featuring elements typical of a papal Mass at the main altar, televised live by Vatican Media.Leo is a devoted Chicago White Sox fan and follows basketball as well.Asked about the upcoming games aboard the papal plane during a recent trip to France, Leo said, "They tell me that the people coming to the match, 90% are Villanova and 10% Notre Dame, so the voice of the people of God will be very strong on the Villanova side."