Rev. Robert P. Hagan first met the man who would become Pope Leo XIV 27 years ago at what he described as an “Augustinian spiritual bootcamp.”
He said the future pope, Robert Prevost, was “a very, very smart man. Really gifted, very articulate, speaks multiple languages, has traveled the world as a missionary.” He was also “a very relatable, warm, friendly, approachable friend,” someone familiarly known as Father Bob.
And there is one other thing about the first U.S. citizen to become pope: he loves hoops, especially Villanova hoops.
The pope is a graduate of Villanova University, where Father Hagan is a senior associate athletic director and a long-serving team chaplain for Villanova football and men’s basketball programs. Hagan shared his memories of Pope Leo in an interview with The Athletic Friday, giving insight into the man from Chicago who has risen to become the leader of the world’s estimated 1.4 billion Catholics.
The two have kept in touch via email and text (yes, the Pope texts) over the years, and Hagan said Pope Leo would weigh in on the Wildcats’ wins when they saw each other.
“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,” Hagan said. “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.”
News of the Pope’s basketball allegiance even reached Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, who quipped about the ex-Nova players on his team: “Now they can be forgiven for their sins.”
Aside from basketball, many sports fans were wondering if the Chicago native had a particular rooting interest in other sports. When it comes to MLB fandom, Prevost’s brother John and a Vatican spokesperson both confirmed to NBC News that Pope Leo roots for the White Sox.
“He was never, ever a Cubs fan,” John Prevost said in an interview with local Chicago news outlet WGN9. The Chicago Sun-Times published a photo of Pope Leo at a White Sox game during the 2005 World Series. (He was also caught on video in a World Series game broadcast).
Beyond sports, it appears that Pope Leo has varied interests. While speaking with NBC Chicago, John Prevost said that he and his brother regularly play Wordle and Words With Friends, and added that Pope Leo watched Oscar-winning movie “Conclave” right before experiencing the real thing.
And Hagan said Pope Leo enjoys tennis and reading, though his stance on pizza has not yet been revealed.
“I understand that he likes to cook,” Father Rob said. “He would often cook for the brothers and they found him to be a good cook.”
A sports fan, a Wordle player, a cook, and now the pope, beating out multiple other cardinals who could’ve received the required two-thirds majority vote in the conclave. Hagan might not have seen it coming, but he’s proud of his friend.
“There were a lot of other people that they could’ve considered, so I didn’t think it was a slam dunk,” Father Rob said. He watched Pope Leo’s arrival in the Provincial Offices with the staff and some Villanova students, and the group burst into celebratory tears and shouts upon hearing the news.
“When they called that name out and he emerged on the balcony, it was like, ‘Wow, we know him! He’s our brother!’ We were so proud.”
(Photo: Christopher Furlong / Getty Images)
