Retired Lt. Col. Andrew Michael Allen, a former astronaut and a Villanova University graduate, told Newsmax on Friday that the school provides a “strong foundation” for students, including himself and Pope Leo XIV.

Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Prevost in Chicago, graduated from Villanova in 1977, the same year as Allen, who told “Newsline” that he “was absolutely thrilled” to hear his old classmate had been elected pontiff.

“Villanova is a great school, and it did some really good things for me and gave me a good start in life and a good foundation, both from a Christian way as well as a technical engineering degree.”

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