VIRAL PHOTO: Lexington priest gifts Roman pontiff a Mark Pope jersey as CBB world embraces new Kentucky era

Without leading the Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team in a game, Mark Pope has become a household name in Lexington. His name has already crossed the ocean and reached the Vatican. A Lexington priest was snapped gifting the Roman pontiff a Wildcats jersey with the new head coach’s name on the back.

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PHOTO: Lexington priest gifts Roman pontiff a Mark Pope jersey as CBB world embraces new Kentucky era

Mark Pope, Pope Francis

PHOTO: Lexington priest gifts Roman pontiff a Mark Pope jersey as CBB world embraces new Kentucky era

Without leading the Kentucky Wildcats men’s basketball team in a game, Mark Pope has become a household name in Lexington. His name has already crossed the ocean and reached the Vatican. A Lexington priest was snapped gifting the Roman pontiff a Wildcats jersey with the new head coach’s name on the back.

A photo has gone viral on social media showing Father Jim Sichko handing over a Pope jersey to the actual Pope Francis. It was shared by ESPN’s Matt Jones on X, showing the interaction amid a sea of followers looking on. Take a look at the snap here:

“Lexington priest @JimSichko gives the Pope a Pope jersey,” Jones wrote while sharing the photo.While Pope Francis is a known soccer fan, some AI-generated photos of him playing basketball took over the internet last year. While most of the fans realized that the snaps were AI-generated, some believed them to be real. The pontiff has no known connection to basketball as a sport but the new gift he received has certainly created one for the Wildcats fans.