Where is Villanova University, and how does it connect to Pope Leo XIV

An active shooter situation was reported on the first day of new student orientation at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, Pope Leo XIV's alma mater.

Villanova University in Radnor, Pennsylvania, was placed under lockdown on Thursday, August 21, after campus officials issued an “ACTIVE SHOOTER” alert near Scarpa Hall, home to the Charles Widger School of Law, according to NBCPhiladelphia.

The first alert was issued at 4:30 p.m. EST, with a follow-up at 4:58 p.m. warning students to barricade doors, per Villanova’s NOVA Alert system.


However, the president confirmed that it was a hoax. In a statement released later, Villanova University President Rev. Peter M. Donohue confirmed that the active shooter report was a false alarm.

Where is Villanova University?

The university is located at 800 Lancaster Ave, Villanova, PA 19085, United States, near the Villanova stadium.

It is a private Catholic research university founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1842 and named after Saint Thomas of Villanova.

As the oldest Catholic university in Pennsylvania, it is one of only two Augustinian institutions of higher education in the United States, the other being Merrimack College.

How is it connected to Pope Leo XIV?

Villanova is the alma mater of Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost, who graduated in 1977 with a degree in mathematics.

He lived in the Augustinian friary, studied Latin and Hebrew, and worked as a cemetery groundskeeper while pursuing theology.

The university has its origins in the old Saint Augustine's Church in Philadelphia, which was established by the Augustinian friars of the Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova in 1796.

It also traces its roots back to its parish school, Saint Augustine's Academy, founded in 1811.