On Saturday (October 31), Pope Leo received his old college basketball team and, in a show of sportsmanship that went only so far, their opponent.

Leo, the first American pope, greeted the men's and women's teams from his alma mater Villanova, where he graduated in 1977, and from their rival Notre Dame before roughly 7,000 players, guests and supporters.

Villanova, home of the Wildcats, is in Pennsylvania, while Notre Dame, whose teams are known as the Fighting Irish, is in Indiana but have strong support in Chicago where the pope, whose secular name is Robert Prevost, was born and raised.

Growing up on the south side of Chicago, we oftentimes heard, "Go Irish." But as you all know, Prevost graduated from Villanova," Leo said. "So the Pope doesn't take sides. Prevost has another opinion, but we won't do that now," he added, to cheers and laughter from the audience.

The two Catholic universities will settle matters on the court on Sunday, when their men's and women's teams face off at Rome's Palazzo dello Sport in the Eternal City Tip-Off, opening the U.S. college basketball season.

For Notre Dame, the challenge on Sunday is obvious: beating a team whose most famous alumnus has a direct line to heaven. Villanova, meanwhile, may have found the ultimate sixth man.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VATICAN CITY (OCTOBER 31, 2026)

1. VARIOUS OF POPE LEO ENTERING VATICAN'S PAUL XI AUDIENCE HALL FULL OF PEOPLE

2. AUDIENCE STANDING, CLAPPING

3. SOUNDBITE (English) POPE LEO, SAYING:

(begins with slip of tongue by doing sign of the cross in Italian, then corrects himself and continues in English) "In the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you."

4. AUDIENCE CLAPPING

5. VARIOUS OF POPE HUGGING VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT, REV. PETER M. DONOHUE / POSING FOR PHOTO WITH GROUP OF DELEGATES

6. POPE LEO DRIBBLING BASKETBALL / SIGNING BASKETBALL

7. AUDIENCE

8. VARIOUS OF POPE LEO POSING WITH DELEGATION, STEPPING ON TO PLATFORM TO GAIN HEIGHT / AUDIO OF AUDIENCE LAUGHING, CLAPPING

9. VARIOUS OF POPE SIGNING ANOTHER BASKETBALL

10. AUDIENCE CLAPPING

11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) POPE LEO, SAYING (SOUNDBITE CONTINUES OVER SHOTS OF AUDIENCE LAUGHING AND CLAPPING):

"Growing up on the South side of Chicago, we often times heard, go Irish! But, as you all know, Prevost graduated from Villanova! So the Pope doesn't take sides. Prevost has another opinion, but we won't do that now."

12. AUDIENCE ONGOING

13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) POPE LEO, SAYING (SOUNDBITE CONTINUES OVER SHOT OF CROWD LISTENING):

"In more recent years, especially through the voices of the popes, the Catholic church has proposed a vision of sport centered the dignity of the human person and his or her intrical development on education and on relationships with others, highlighting its universal value as a means of promoting values such as fraternity, solidarity and peace."

14. AUDIENCE CLAPPING

15. POPE LEO SHAKING HANDS WITH JOE DONNELLY, FORMER US AMBASSADOR TO THE HOLY SEE

16. VARIOUS OF POPE LEO POSING WITH NOTRE DAME TEAM

17. VARIOUS OF POPE LEO POSING WITH VILLANOVA TEAM AND DOING V-SIGN WITH HAND STANDING FOR VILLANOVA

18. VARIOUS OF POPE LEO SHAKING HANDS WITH CROWDS

19. POPE LEO TAKING PHOTO WITH CHILD DRESSED UP AS POPE