Villanova University President, the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, took a chance this week when he sent an email to Pope Leo XIV asking if he’d be free to speak at next year’s commencement exercises.
“Very funny,” Pope Leo XIV responded. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to do that.”
Still, Rev. Donohue isn’t ruling out a future campus visit by the pope, who is, after all, a 1977 Villanova alumnus, writes Susan Snyder for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Donohue said he believes Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, will visit Villanova when he does come to the United States.
Before becoming a cardinal, Prevost had been to Villanova many times since his 1977 graduation on religious business.
The university is headquarters for the Augustinians’ East Coast Province. The university also gave him an honorary doctorate in 2014.
Donohue has gotten to know Prevost.
“He’s very down to earth, very good sense of humor,” Donohue said. “He likes to know people and interact with people. He’s a good listener.”
The new pope’s high-profile connection to Villanova has already had results for the university, with several thousand new followers flooding its social media platform in less than 24 hours.
Find out more about the new pope’s impact on Villanova University in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
