Villanova alumnus Richard Travia and his daughter Emily greeted Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Oct. 31, The Villanovan first reported.
The family encounter took place during a pilgrimage shared by Villanova and the University of Notre Dame. The Pope addressed both university communities before their basketball teams competed in Rome, according to Villanova University.
In the university’s published text of his address, Leo urged players and supporters to look beyond the contest’s result. He asked members of the two schools to use their time in Rome to get to know one another.
He distinguished competition from hostility: rival teams, he said, are not enemies. He also described athletics as a way to practice cooperation and sharing, with benefits that extend beyond a university campus.
The address connected those lessons with the religious purpose of the trip. Speaking on the eve of All Saints’ Day, Leo asked listeners to consider how their conduct in sport could express love for God and others.
He pointed to Pier Giorgio Frassati, a patron saint of athletes, as an example of the connection between faith and sport. Becoming a saint, like becoming a champion, requires daily practice, he said.
The university identifies the gathering as a private audience in the Paul VI Audience Hall, attended by students, faculty, staff and alumni. Its published address includes greetings to Villanova president Peter Donohue and Notre Dame president Robert Dowd.
Travia is a 2003 Villanova graduate. His wife, Katie, also graduated that year and joined the family’s trip, The Villanovan reported.
