Vatican City, Jun 21, 2017 / 12:08 pm
Pope Francis addressed members of the National Football League Hall of Fame on Wednesday, encouraging them to promote the values of sportsmen not only on the field but also within their communities.
"Teamwork, fair play and the pursuit of personal excellence are the values – in the religious sense, we can say virtues – that have guided your own commitment on the field," said the Pope, meeting with the hall-of-famers on June 21.
"Yet these same values are urgently needed off the field, on all levels of our life as a community."
He addressed the need for role models in the world, especially for youth, teaching them to live out their "God-given gifts and talents," showing how to bring out the best in each person and leading the way to a better future.