By Griffin WhiteROME (CNS) -- The University of Notre Dame walked away the victors in the first NCAA regular season basketball games ever played in Rome, sweeping a doubleheader against Villanova University on Nov. 1.The Eternal City Tipoff brought together two Catholic universities to Palazzo dello Sport, an arena built for the 1960 Olympics, and marked the first time an NCAA college basketball game was broadcast live from Rome.The crowd was a mix of students studying abroad, alumni and fans who made the trip for the weekend. Many of them said the atmosphere was the best part.“The atmosphere of the game was electric,” one Notre Dame student told Catholic News Service after the game. “I’ve been a fan all my life, and I’m just so happy to be here today.”Villanova fans felt it too, even after the loss. “It went down to the wire. No complaints today,” said Danté, a student studying abroad.  Villanova fans attend a season-o

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In a world full of possibilities, yet still marked by injustice and fear, Pope Leo XIV said young Christians are called to transform the world with love."Many regard love as a form of weakness, but Christ shows us that it is a source of freedom and strength," he said in his message to young people ahead of the local celebrations of World Youth Day Nov. 22, the solemnity of Christ the King.In a world created good but still wounded by injustice, conflict, fear, violence and loneliness, he wrote, "everything is transformed by love." "Christians are called to follow Christ in his gentle courage: the courage to show love when harshness seems easier and more effective; the courage to seek peace when confrontation appears more advantageous; and the courage to hold fast, to hope when cynicism seems more convincing," the pope wrote in the message released by the Vatican Nov. 3. In this file photo from Aug. 6, 2023, a young man from