The Kentucky Wildcats are a household name in America, and they’re a closely followed brand in Lexington.

However, they may be getting a new international fan in Pope Francis.

A universally recognized figure, Pope Francis was given a Mark Pope Kentucky Basketball jersey by Father Jim Sichko, who is a priest of the Diocese of Lexington. Sichko was in Vatican City for meetings and saw the opportunity.

Here are a few pictures of it all from Twitter.

As noted above, Pope, while at Kentucky, didn’t wear the No. 23 jersey. However, upon taking over from now-Arkansas head coach John Calipari, Pope will be the 23rd head coach in the program’s storied history.

Having already added key pieces to his roster for next season, many of which are top transfer-portal prospects, Pope will hopefully be leading a special team next season, and he may have one more European fan backing the Cats!