Pope Leo XIV Welcomes Villanova and Notre Dame Teams Before Rome Season Opener

The Villanova and Notre Dame men's and women's teams received a formal blessing from Pope Leo XIV on Saturday. The gathering took place in the Vatican audience hall immediately before the schools' season-opening doubleheader in Rome.

The event, named the Eternal City Tip-Off, was organized to honor the first American pope. Leo, who was born Robert Prevost in Chicago, met with all four rosters. He declared himself neutral on the upcoming matchups, a stance he said his former self might not share.

"Prevost has another opinion, but we won't do that now," Leo told the assembly. The audience included 7,000 players, coaches, fans, and family members from both institutions. The pope, who underwent lung cancer surgery in October, did not expect to attend the games themselves.

A group of cardinals and Vatican officials is scheduled to watch the action at the Palazzo dello Sport. The 11,000-seat arena sits about a 30-minute drive from the Vatican. Team chaplains from both schools also accompanied the squads to Italy.

The men's contest begins at 3:30 p.m. local time, or 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time. Fox will broadcast the game with Bill Raftery serving as the analyst. The women's game follows at 6 p.m. local time, or noon Eastern Time, on FS1. Notre Dame enters the contest as the only ranked team in the lineup, holding the No. 13 position.