About 7,000 people entered the Paul VI audience hall inside the Vatican on Saturday after a special private Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.
asserted
people → enter → Basilica
, said sports bring people together and can promote values such as fraternity, solidarity and peace.
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sports → say → fraternity
"By acting as a concrete means of bringing people together, athletics can teach the values of cooperation and mutual sharing.
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athletics → act → cooperation
This is increasingly necessary in an age marked by the distance that can be created by technology," he said, according to Vatican News.
uncertain
he → mark → News
The teams are in Rome for the U.S. college basketball season opener on Sunday — an event dubbed the Eternal City Tip-Off and created to honor the U.S.-born pope.
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teams → dub → pope
The universities' men's and women's teams will play a doubleheader at the Palazzo Dello Sport, an 11,000-seat arena about a half-hour drive from the Vatican.
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teams → play → Vatican
Leo, who is currently recovering from
, graduated from Villanova in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics.
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who → recover → mathematics
"Growing up on the south side of Chicago, we oftentimes heard, 'Go Irish.'
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we → hear → Chicago
But as you all know, Prevost graduated from Villanova!
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Prevost → know → Villanova
So, the Pope doesn't take sides.
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Pope → take → sides
Prevost has another opinion, but we won't do that now," Leo joked during the audience, according to Vatican News.
uncertain
Leo → have → News
The Rev. Robert Dowd, president of Notre Dame, acknowledged Villanova had something of an edge considering it counts the pope as an alumnus.
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it → acknowledge → alumnus
But in an interview Saturday, he said the occasion to bring both teams together with all their fans in Rome for a papal audience and season opener was "amazing."
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occasion → say → audience
"That could be a little challenging, but I know that the pope is a pope for all of us, and so I'm grateful," he said.
uncertain
he → know → us
"I know in a particular way the pope talks about the importance of bridge building, and I'm sure he'll be a bridge builder when we play each other."
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we → know → other
Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson Perez celebrated a private Mass for traveling fans in St. Peter's Basilica on Saturday morning, and asked the thousands of people in the pews to give a round of applause to the players.
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Perez → celebrate → players
The English-language liturgy was unusual in that it had all the trappings of a papal Mass celebrated at the main altar and televised live by Vatican Media.
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it → have → Media
Asked about the upcoming games on the papal plane during a recent trip to France, Leo said, "They tell me that the people coming to the match, 90% are Villanova and 10% Notre Dame, so the voice of the people of God will be very strong on the Villanova side."
Leo is an avid
and has been known to follow basketball, too.
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Leo → ask → basketball
"He will know who they (the players) are.
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they → know → ?
He's a true, blue Villanovan," said the Rev. Rob Hagan, Villanova's longtime team chaplain.
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Hagan → say → ?
He said Leo used to attend Villanova games at the Palestra, the Philadelphia arena known as "The Cathedral of College Basketball."
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Leo → say → Basketball
Sunday's games coincide with All Saints' Day, a major Catholic holiday.
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games → coincide → Day
The Aporia
