Quick answer: On October 31, 2026, Pope Leo XIV met about 7,000 people from Villanova University and the University of Notre Dame at the Vatican, ahead of their "Eternal City Tip-Off" basketball games in Rome on November 1. He joked that "the Pope doesn't take sides," but "Prevost has another opinion," a nod to his real name, Robert Francis Prevost, and to his degree from Villanova.
Video: Vatican News, full audience with Villanova and Notre Dame, Oct. 31, 2026.
What happened at the Vatican
According to Vatican News, the pope received athletes, students, staff, alumni and supporters of both Catholic universities in the Paul VI Audience Hall on Saturday. Villanova's president, Father Peter Donohue, and Notre Dame's president, Father Robert Dowd, were among those present.
The two schools are in Rome for the "Eternal City Tip-Off," a pair of men's and women's college basketball games scheduled for Sunday, November 1, the Solemnity of All Saints.
The line that got the biggest reaction was about loyalties. As quoted by Vatican News, Pope Leo said:
"Growing up on the south side of Chicago, we oftentimes 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."
The Associated Press also covered the remark under the headline "Pope Leo tells Villanova and Notre Dame basketball teams he is neutral. Prevost has other ideas."
.png){kind=link}
The serious message: sports as a "training in love"
Beyond the joke, the pope used the audience to talk about what sport can do. He said athletics can "teach the values of cooperation and mutual sharing," which he called "increasingly necessary in an age marked by the distance that can be created by technology." He reminded fans that rival teams "are certainly not enemies."
Tying the game to All Saints' Day, he added: "No one is born a champion, just as no one is born a saint. Rather, holiness requires a daily training in love." He also mentioned Pier Giorgio Frassati, a patron saint of athletes.
Why "Prevost" and "Pope Leo" are the same person
Popes take a new name when they are elected, so the joke works because Pope Leo XIV is still, by birth, Robert Francis Prevost. He was born September 14, 1955, in Chicago, joined the Augustinian order (the same order that runs Villanova), served for years as a missionary and bishop in Peru, and was elected pope on May 8, 2025, becoming the first U.S.-born pope (Britannica; Vatican). His name "Leo" has widely been linked to Pope Leo XIII, the 19th-century pope known for Catholic social teaching.
Taking a papal name is a centuries-old tradition. For example, Pope Adrian IV, the only English pope, was born Nicholas Breakspear.
More papal real names on RealNameOf:
- Pope Leo XIV's real name: Robert Francis Prevost
- Pope Adrian IV's real name: Nicholas Breakspear
- Pope Francis's real name
- Pope Leo X's real name
- Pope Leo XI's real name
- Pope Leo XII's real name
FAQ
What is Pope Leo XIV's real name? Robert Francis Prevost. He was born in Chicago on September 14, 1955.
Did Pope Leo go to Villanova? Yes. He is a Villanova graduate, which is why he joked that "Prevost graduated from Villanova" (Vatican News; Britannica).
What is the Eternal City Tip-Off? A pair of college basketball games, men's and women's, between Villanova and Notre Dame in Rome on November 1, 2026, per Vatican News.
Is the pope rooting for Villanova? Officially, he said "the Pope doesn't take sides." His joke that "Prevost has another opinion" was a lighthearted hint, not an official endorsement.
Why do popes change their names? It's a long-standing tradition; a new pope chooses a name, often to honor an earlier pope or signal priorities.