Representatives of Pro Football Hall of Fame meet with Pope Francis

By Stephen Spiewak | Posted 6/22/2017

The leader of the most popular religious denomination in the United States is apparently a fan of the country’s most popular sport.

Pope Francis, the leader of the 1.2 billion-member Roman Catholic Church—77 million of which live in the U.S.—recently welcomed representatives from the Pro Football Hall of Fame to the Vatican.

The occasion marked the first time a U.S. sports organization had an audience with the pope, according to a release.

During his time with the members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which included Franco Harris, Ronnie Lott and 2017 enshrinee Jerry Jones, Pope Francis celebrated the virtues of American football that are also valuable traits away from the game.

“I am pleased to greet you, the members and directors of the American Pro Football Hall of Fame and welcome you to the Vatican,” the pope said. “Teamwork, fair play and the pursuit of personal excellence are the values--in the religious sense, we can say virtues that have guided your commitment on and off the field.”

Francis pointed to these values uniting people toward a greater good.

“The values meet the needs of our brothers and sisters and combat the exaggerated individualism, indifference and injustice that hold us back from living as one human family,” said the pontiff, who is both the first Pope from the Americas and the first pope from the Jesuit order.

The opportunity to meet the pope made a significant impact on the Pro Football Hall of Fame members present at the Vatican.

“What a magnificent thing for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and to have him recognize pro football,” said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. “When I think of the millions who know our Spiritual leader, it is very special to think that we had his audience on behalf of the game.”

Francis has long looked at sports as an opportunity to engage the millions of people who participate and watch.

He’s also a renowned soccer fan.

“As many of you know, I am an avid follower of ‘football,’ but where I come from, the game is played very differently!” Francis said when he greeted the delegation.

Perhaps on Sundays this fall, after his final homilies, the pope’s sports fandom will extend to the American version of football.

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