Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, NFL Hall of Fame group meet Pope Francis

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and a Pro Football Hall of Fame delegation met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Wednesday.

Jones, who is being inducted into the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 4, was in Italy with Hall of Famers Curtis Martin, Chris Doleman, Franco Harris, Jim Taylor, Ronnie Lott and Floyd Little, along with Pro Football Hall of Fame board chairman Randy Hunt.

The Pope blessed all members of the group and urged them to translate values of teamwork and fair play from the football field to the broader community.

"I am pleased to greet you, the members and directors of the American Pro Football Hall of Fame and welcome you to the Vatican," Pope Francis said Wednesday during a special audience, according to a release sent out by the Hall of Fame.

"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. These 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."

Jones attended with his wife, Gene Jones.

"What a magnificent thing for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and to have him recognize pro football," the Cowboys owner said in the release. "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."