Villanova is "taking over Rome," says the university's president, Father Peter Donohue. The men's and women's basketball teams will depart from campus Wednesday, en route to the airport and then to the Italian capital. The Wildcats will play Notre Dame in the Eternal City Tip-Off on Sunday.
For which team might the pope be rooting? Pope Leo is, after all, a Villanova alumnus. He said in September, when asked about the games, that "the voice of the people of God will be very strong on the Villanova side."
We don't know whether the pope will be among the spectators. It's only been a couple of weeks since he had surgery for lung cancer.
He is scheduled to hold a private audience inside the Vatican on Saturday for the teams and their traveling fans. Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson Perez will also celebrate a private Mass for them in St. Peter’s Basilica.
(Photo by Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images)
