Notre Dame and Villanova hoops teams set to visit the Pope in Rome next season
CNN • • sports
Key Points:
- Villanova and Notre Dame men's and women's basketball teams will play a doubleheader in Rome on November 1, celebrating the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first American Pope and a Villanova graduate.
- The men's game will air on Fox at 9:30 a.m. ET, followed by the women's game on FS1 at noon ET; the exact venue in Rome is yet to be finalized.
- The event honors both schools' Catholic missions and Pope Leo XIV, with plans for the teams to meet the Pope and participate in a shared Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica.
- Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Prevost, graduated from Villanova in 1977, joined the Order of Saint Augustine, and conducted missionary work in Peru before his election in May 2025.
- Villanova students and faculty celebrated the historic papal election on campus, and now the basketball teams will visit the Pope in Rome, symbolizing a unique connection between the university and the Vatican.
