Pope Leo has praised sports while addressing athletes and members of the Universities of Notre Dame and Villanova in the United States, who were in Rome to face off in a basketball game on Nov. 1, also the feast of All Saints.

The U.S. born pontiff emphasized the importance of sports to promote cooperation and mutual sharing and also recalled that we are called to be holy in our lives.

"By acting as a concrete means of bringing people together, athletics can teach the values of cooperation and mutual sharing," said Leo XIV, speaking at the Vatican on Oct. 31.

"This is increasingly necessary in an age marked by the distance that can be created by technology," he said to an audience at the Vatican, with athletes and other members of the two universities, Vatican News reported.

Villanova University is the alma mater of the first American pope.

Notre Dame, however, made a late comeback after trailing for most of the second half to beat Villanova 74-72 in the men's college basketball season opener in Rome.

          ETERNAL CITY TIP-OFF

The event was dubbed the Eternal City Tip-Off and the beloved college basketball encounter was followed worldwide.

Leo said that in an age where technology seems to push people apart, sports draw them together and can promote values such as fraternity, solidarity, and peace, said Leo XIV, speaking on Oct. 31.

The communities from these two American Catholic universities gathered in Rome to face off in the "Eternal City Tip-Off," two college basketball games, men's and women's, that took place on Nov. 1.

"Growing up on the south side of Chicago, we oftentimes heard, 'Go Irish' [the school cheer for the University of Notre Dame].

"But as you all know, Prevost (Leo's family name) graduated from Villanova! So, the Pope doesn't take sides. Prevost has another opinion, but we won't do that now," the Pope joked during the audience.

Around 7000 people attended the meeting in the Paul VI Audience Hall, including Father Peter Donohue, the Villanova University president, and Father Robert Dowd, president of the University of Notre Dame.

Also present were students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters of these two academic establishments.

He also recalled examples of saints for whom sports were important, and who can inspire us, such as Pier Giorgio Frassati, a patron saint of athletes.

The Pope stressed to his audience that, first and foremost, "Christians are called to run in the race of life with the objective of winning an imperishable crown of glory."

"Our true goal, beyond emerging victorious in any one event, is to win the prize of everlasting life," he noted.