Before visiting the Vatican this week, a Catholic priest asked Eli Capilouto, president of the University of Kentucky, for a favor.
Jim Sichko of the Diocese of Lexington requested a jersey with the last name of newly hired Kentucky men's basketball coach Mark Pope.
The jersey, No. 23, was tucked under Sichko's arm as he attended a general audience with Pope Francis on Wednesday. Sichko said he was pleased when Pope Francis gave him his opponent's pope's jersey as a gift.
“Whenever I meet with Pope Francis, I always bring some kind of gift,” Sichko told Yahoo Sports. “We thought it would be unique to bring a UK Basketball jersey on Pope’s back.”
Mr. Sichko has brought everything to Pope Francis from rare bottles of bourbon to custom basketball shoes made by a Lexington retailer. Sichko's social media post Friday morning about the gift generated more buzz than previous posts.
“There is literally no other fan base out there that would be crazy enough to try this.”
“Will the Pope be on my side!?” Ah, this season is over!!”
Mark Pope wore No. 41 while playing for Kentucky in the mid-1990s. The number 23 on the jersey that Citico presented to Pope Francis represents the fact that Pope replaced John Calipari last month as the 23rd head coach in Kentucky men's basketball history.