Given Pope Leo XIV’s connection to Delaware County through Villanova University, it was only a matter of time before he was asked about his favorite Wawa order, writes Joe Holden for CBS News Philadelphia.
It was hoped that one Delaware County native might be able to elicit some answers to key Delaware County questions from the new pope.
Before “Father Bob” was named pope, Augustinian Father Joe Farrell from Delaware County prayed, said Mass, and had lunch with him every day.
Father Farrell now works in Vatican City overlooking Saint Peter’s Basilica. He did forward some Delco-related questions to the Holy Father, but the Wawa question went pretty much unanswered.
“He’s getting lots of questions,” Father Farrell said. “That one might be the most unique, Delaware County-focused question.”
“He was not specific about it. He said he certainly has fond memories when he was a student at Villanova of going to Wawa.”
So, how does he feel about the Eagles?
“He was non-committal with the Eagles,” Father Farrell said. “He was very happy this year when the Eagles won the Super Bowl. He was able to rejoice with us from the Philadelphia area.”
But, he did not hear the Holy Father say “Go Birds” during the Super Bowl.
Find out more about Pope Leo XIV’s continuing connections to Villanova and Delaware County at CBS News Philadelphia.
Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on DELCO Today in May 2025.
