Pope Leo XIV Addresses Villanova University and the University of Notre Dame at Private Audience at the Vatican

On Saturday, October 31, 2026, students, faculty, staff and alumni from Villanova University and the University of Notre Dame attended a private audience with Villanova alumnus Pope Leo XIV at the St. Paul VI Audience Hall in Rome, Italy. In his address to both university communities, Pope Leo XIV emphasized the impact that sport and spirituality have on wider society, accentuating how together, the two can promote relationship- building, fraternity, solidarity and peace.

Address Of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV to a Pilgrimage from Villanova University and the University of Notre Dame:

"Dear friends,

I am pleased to welcome all of you to the Vatican as part of your pilgrimage to Rome. In a particular way, I greet Father Peter Donohue, President of Villanova University, and Father Robert Dowd, President of the University of Notre Dame, along with the students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters of these two academic institutions who are present.

There are many activities occurring during your visit, including, of course, the basketball games that will take place tomorrow between the teams from your universities. In this regard, given the enthusiasm and widespread interest surrounding these games, we can see the potential for sport to play an impactful role both in the life of an academic community as well as in the wider society.

Various Christian authors throughout the centuries, including a number of my predecessors, have noted the many praiseworthy effects that result from participation in athletic activities. In this respect, in more recent years, especially through the voices of the popes, the Catholic Church "has proposed a vision of sport centered on the dignity of the human person, on his or her integral development, on education and on relationships with others, highlighting its universal value as a means of promoting values such as fraternity, solidarity and peace" (Letter Life in Abundance, 6 February 2026).

As many of us have experienced, by acting as a concrete means of bringing people together, athletics can teach the values of cooperation and mutual sharing. This is increasingly necessary in an age marked by the distance that can be created by technology (cf. Homily for the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity, Jubilee of Sport, 15 June 2025). Indeed, "sport is a medicine for both body and spirit, when it is practiced well" (Address to Members of the Italian Swimming Federation, 25 June 2026).

During sporting events, there is the natural desire to cheer, often passionately, for one's own side. It is important to remember that in any competition, the members of two teams, even when they have a competitive rivalry, are certainly not enemies (cf. Letter Life in Abundance). 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.

Providentially, your visit is taking place on the eve of the Solemnity on which the universal Church venerates "in one celebration the merits of all the Saints" (Roman Missal, Collect for the Solemnity of All Saints). On All Saints' Day, we remember that God calls everyone to be a saint. Indeed, Saint Peter emphasizes that since the Lord himself is holy, we ourselves are to be holy in all of our conduct (cf. 1 Pet 1:15). We are invited, therefore, to ensure that every aspect of our lives, including our athletic endeavors, will help us to love God and our neighbor. For a number of saints, including Pier Giorgio Frassati, a patron saint of athletes, sport was an important component of their lives. His life, as well as that of many holy men and women, reminds us that no one is born a champion, just as no one is born a saint. Rather, holiness requires a daily training in love (cf. Homily for the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity, Jubilee of Sport).

In this regard, Christians are called to run in the race of life with the objective of winning an imperishable crown of glory (cf. 1 Cor 9:24-25). I pray that the activities which comprise your pilgrimage, especially your visits to the tombs of the Apostles, who gave their lives in defense of the faith, will serve as a reminder that our true goal, beyond emerging victorious in any one event, is to win the prize of everlasting life.

My dear friends, with these thoughts I once again thank you for your presence, and I entrust all of you to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of Saint Augustine, St. Thomas of Villanova and Blessed Basil Moreau. To you, and to the members of your university communities, I willingly impart my Apostolic Blessing. Thank you."