A Shocked Villanova Celebrates One of Its Own in New Pope

The Villanova University community erupted in celebration after one of its own, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, was elected Pope Leo XIV—the first American and first Augustinian friar to lead the Roman Catholic Church.

For the Catholic university just outside Philadelphia known for its basketball team and rabid fan base, where Prevost earned his undergraduate degree nearly five decades ago, the moment stirred profound pride—a milestone for both the Church and the academic institution where his vocation first took root.

In a sign of how caught off guard the university — and the world — was by the election of Prevost, it took Villanova nearly 90 minutes to acknowledge the momentous occasion in a press release.

Why It Matters

White smoke rose over the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City as Prevost stepped onto the Vatican balcony as Pope Leo XIV, drawing cheers from thousands of Catholics gathered below in St. Peter’s Square. They had waited for days to learn who would succeed Pope Francis after his death.

Prevost, 69, was born in Chicago and spent much of his clerical life in Peru. His selection was confirmed Thursday, following a swift two-day conclave, marking the beginning of a new chapter in Catholic leadership.

For Villanova and its alumni, the selection was a double surprise: not just an American, but a former Wildcat, as the new leader of their faith.

What To Know

“This is a significant day for our University community and the global Church,” said Rev. Peter M. Donohue, president of Villanova University and a fellow Augustinian, in a university statement.

“With today’s election of His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, I cannot help but reflect on what his Augustinian papacy will mean to our University and to the world. Known for his humility, gentle spirit, prudence, and warmth, Pope Leo XIV’s leadership offers an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to our educational mission.”

Pope Leo XIV, a 1977 graduate of Villanova’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, studied mathematics at the Pennsylvania university—one of only two Augustinian Catholic universities in the United States—before beginning a religious path that led from missionary work in Peru to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Bishops, and now to the papacy.

“As an Augustinian Catholic institution, we celebrate this moment for both Villanova and the global Church,” Donohue said. “Built on the teachings of St. Augustine, Villanova has always been committed to advancing a deeper understanding of the relationship between faith and reason—between spirituality and wisdom.”

Donohue, himself an Augustinian friar and 1975 Villanova alumnus, emphasized that Pope Leo XIV embodies the order’s core values. “Known for his humility, gentle spirit, prudence and warmth, Pope Leo XIV’s leadership offers an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to our educational mission,” he said.

Online, alumni and students expressed their shock, support and pride in the university’s connection to the new pope. “So proud of my class of ’77!” wrote Anne Desmond Martinho on the school’s official Facebook page. “Never been more proud to be a Villanova graduate 💙,” added Tom Casey.

“Villanova University… Other universities produce CEOs, we produce The Pope,” wrote Nelson P. Judan.

By late afternoon, Campus Corner, a local pizzeria, had already put on the wall a picture of its new most famous alumnus, according to users on Facebook: “Pope Leo XIV ate here!”

Brian Towers noted, with a nod to the school’s longtime reputation as an NCAA basketball powerhouse: “In the 2025 Pope Draft, for the #1 and only pick, the conclave selects; Pope Leo XIV aka Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost. Villanova University—An American from South Chicago.”

The university previously awarded Prevost an honorary Doctor of Humanities in 2014. The Wildcats haven’t appeared in a men’s Final Four since 2022.

What People Are Saying

Pope Leo XIV, addressing the jubilant crowd in St. Peter’s Square, said: “We must strive together to be a missionary Church—always ready to welcome. Like this great piazza, with its open arms, we must show our charity, presence, and dialogue with love.

Professor Margaret Thompson, professor of history and political science at (Villanova rival) Syracuse University, told Newsweek: “Leo is a powerful choice—Leo XIII is considered the father of Catholic Social Teaching. This signals a potential emphasis on justice, labor, and the Church’s role in the modern world.”

Sister Barbara Reid, the president of the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, where Robert Prevost got his master’s in divinity: “I have absolutely no doubt that our new pope, Leo XIV, will just be an extraordinary leader. We didn’t think it was possible for an American to be the person that the cardinals would choose. He’s got such a global vision and all the years he spent in Peru, he’s a person that really has the heart of the whole church.”

Villanova alumnus Donna Munro, on Villanova’s Facebook page: “This is what we can brag about now since Villanova’s no longer known for basketball”

What Happens Next

The new pope will preside over an inauguration Mass in St. Peter’s Square, usually within a week of the election. This event formally begins his papacy.