Pope Leo XIV told basketball teams from his alma mater, Villanova, and fellow Catholic institution Notre Dame on Saturday that the pontiff must remain neutral in sporting matters as both teams gathered in Rome for their season opener.

Yet the pope, born Robert Prevost, acknowledged that his former self might hold a different view.

"Prevost has another opinion, but we won’t do that now," he said to laughs during a whooping, cheering audience of 7,000 people from both schools — players, coaches, fans and their families — in the Vatican audience hall.

The squads traveled to Italy for the U.S. college basketball season opener.…