Pope Leo XIV’s duties and day-to-day life may have changed since he became the successor to Pope Francis, but that isn’t stopping him from repping his V’s at the Vatican.
He proved that during a meeting with members of the National Italian American Foundation at the Vatican in Italy on June 4, when he received a baseball hat of his alma mater, Villanova University.
To no surprise, his holiness was brought to a smile when he received the gift, which he briefly took off his zucchetto to put on for a photo.
The pope putting on a Villanova cap is certainly a first, as there has never been a pope elected from the United States before. It also added some fuel to the ongoing spark of message boards within college basketball that Villanova is the pope’s school and that the Big East is the pope’s conference.
Robert Francis Prevost — as he was known before taking the papal name Pope Leo XI — attended Villanova for his undergraduate studies, and received a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics in 1977. He additionally received an honorary doctor of humanities in 2014 according to a Villanova news release, shortly after he was elected pontiff by the College of Cardinals during the Conclave.
Pope Leo XIV, who is from Chicago, was elected as the first American pope by the papal conclave on May 8. He is part of the Augustinian Order of priests, also known as the Order of Saint Augustine (OSA), the same order of priests that founded and runs Villanova.
‘We’ve had a lot of fun watching the Knicks because Jalen (Brunson) and Josh (Hart) and Donte (DiVincenzo) was there and now Mikal (Bridges) is there,’ Villanova men’s basketball chaplain Rob Hagan told The Athletic after his election. ‘I think that Pope Leo will still keep an eye on the ‘Nova Knicks. I think he’ll still keep an eye on the Wildcats, and I think he’ll be very proud of not just who they are but the way that they play with a certain spirit and unselfishness.’
Being a fan of Villanova isn’t the only known fan base that Pope Leo XIV is a part of. As previously reported by USA TODAY, Pope Leo XIV’s brother, John Prevost, confirmed that he is a Chicago White Sox fan. He was also spotted at Game 1 of the 2005 World Series donning his White Sox gear.
And so, as Pope Leo XIV continues his papacy, one pressing question now sits in front of his holiness: Will he have a March Madness bracket?