Mark Pope Receives Kentucky Jersey as Gift from Pope Francis, Delivered by Lexington Priest

Mark Pope’s appointment as the new head basketball coach for the **University of Kentucky** has officially made its way to **Vatican City**. **Father Jim Sichko**, a priest from **Lexington**, recently presented **Pope Francis** with a specially customized **Kentucky Wildcats No. 23 jersey** emblazoned with Pope’s last name.According to **Tyler Thompson** from **On3.com**, Sichko, who was in Vatican City for meetings, took the opportunity to personally deliver the gift to the Pope. **Sichko** shared Pope Francis’ reaction, telling **KSR** (h/t Thompson), “He loved it.”

Though it’s unclear why No. 23 was chosen, the connection to **Nike**, which sponsors Kentucky, and the potential promotion of the **Jordan Brand** seems to be a clever choice. While the idea of a Wildcats jersey hanging in the **Vatican Palace** might be an entertaining thought, it’s more likely that the jersey will be placed in one of the Vatican’s museums. This wouldn’t be the first time Pope Francis has contributed memorabilia to the museum, as he has previously donated signed shirts and photos from both the **Italian** and **Argentine soccer teams**.Pope is about to begin his first season as head coach of the **Kentucky Wildcats** after spending the last five seasons at **BYU**. His new role certainly comes with high expectations, especially considering the legacy of his predecessor, **John Calipari**, who led Kentucky to prominence for 15 seasons, despite his recent struggles.Replacing Calipari, who left Kentucky after a turbulent final five years without a Sweet 16 appearance, is no small task. However, Pope is determined to restore Kentucky basketball to its former glory. As he takes on this challenging role, he may just be hoping for some divine assistance from the jersey gifted by Pope Francis to help guide him toward success. If the jersey does provide any blessings, no one in Lexington would complain.