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Pope Leo XIV met with the basketball team of his alma mater and the University of Notre Dame and about 7,000 fans at the Vatican for the opening ceremony of the American college basketball game in Rome.
CatholicPope Leo XIV (Pope SinghVatican Inside the Paul VI Audience Hall.
CNR quoted the Associated Press as saying the interview would take place before the opening game of the U.S. college basketball season on Nov. 1 in Rome.
The men’s and women’s basketball teams of Villanova University and the University of Notre Dame will play men’s and women’s dual events at Palazzo dello Sport, which can seat 11,000. This place is about half an hour’s drive from the Vatican.
The event was named the “Eternal City Tip-Off” to pay tribute to the Vatican’s first American Pope.
Like all previous Popes, Leo XIV has repeatedly affirmed the importance of exercise for physical, mental and spiritual development. At the same time, he also warned that the “win at all costs” mentality in sports competitions has given rise to many corrupt practices in the sports world, such as doping and match fixing.
In addition to his love for tennis, Leo XIV was also a die-hard fan of baseball and was even a fan of the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). It is understood that he also pays attention to basketball events.
“He (Leo XIV) would know who the players were,” said Father Rob Hagen, Villanova’s longtime team chaplain. “He was a true and loyal Villanova guy.”
Hagen said Leo XIV used to go to the Palestra in Philadelphia to watch Villanova games. This stadium is known as the “Cathedral of College Basketball”.
Held on 1 November, the game coincides with All Saints’ Day, an important Catholic holiday.
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He met privately with the basketball teams of his alma mater, Villanova University and the University of Notre Dame, and also met with thousands of American fans who had made a special trip to Rome to watch the game. About 7,000 people participated.
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The meeting took place before the opening game of the American college basketball season on November 1 in Rome. The men’s and women’s basketball teams from both schools will play a double event in the small sports palace that can seat 11,000 people.
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Because Pope Leo XIV is the first American Pope in the Vatican, he has long affirmed the importance of sports for body, mind and spirit, and loves tennis and baseball, and also pays attention to basketball, so this event pays tribute to him.
